
Book .L 55" 

SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT 



THE LAMENTATYON OF 
MARY MAGDALEYNE. 



TEXT, WITH CRITICAL INTROOrCTIOX. 



Inaugural Dissertation tor the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 
at the University of Zurich. 



BY 



BERTHA M. SKEAT 

Medieval and Modern Languages Tripos, Newnham College, 

Cambridge. 



tffambrrtjge: 
Fabb &. Tyler, Guildhall Street. 

1897. 






/3<g* 



^9 
THE LAMENTATYON OF 

MARY MAGDALEYNE. 



TEXT, WITH CRITICAL INTRODUCTION. 



Inaugural Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 
at the University of Zurich. 



BY 



BERTHA Mf SKEAT 

Medieval and Modern Languages Tripos, Nevvnham College, 

Cambridge. 



GCambrrtrge: 

Fabb & Tyler, Guildhall Street. 

1897. 



zoo7 

/$•■<■■/ 



431540 



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anb mil iKtotfiqi;. 



CONTENTS. 



I. The Poem : its Subject and Value. 
II. Authority for the Text. 

III. Language. 

a. Dialect. b. Vocabulary. c. Contraction and 
Elision, d. Grammar. 

IV. Metre. 

a. Peculiarities of rime. b. Accent, c. Alliteration. 
d. Metrical form. c. Scansion, f. Caesura. 

V. Comparison with other Poets and Poems. 

a. Chaucer, b. Lydgate. c. Occleve. d. The Craft 
of Lovers, c. Hawes. 

VI. Theory of date. 

VII. Allusions and Legends. 

VIII. Theory of Authorship. 

IX. Text of the Poem. 

X. Index of Words. 



THE LAMENTATYON OF MARY 
MAGDALEYNE. 



INTRODUCTION. 

The chief interest of this poem lies in the fact that it was 
originally given among Chaucer's works by Thynne, probably 
because it was supposed to be his lost translation of Qrigenes 
upon the Maiidelevne, mentioned in the Legend of Good 
Women, 1. 428. Tyrwhitt, however, in 1775, threw a doubt 
upon this fact (cf. Chaucer's Works, ed. by Skeat, III., 308), 
and it is the object of the present essay to show, not only that 
the poem \v T as not written by Chaucer, but that the whole 
weight of internal evidence bears testimony to a later date. 

I. SUBJECT. 

The subject of the whole poem is the lament of the 
Magdalene on arriving at the Sepulchre, and finding it empty 
of her Lord's body. It may be more fully analysed into the 
following parts. 

(11. 1 — 35.) i. She explains the cause of her grief — the 

empty tomb. 

(11. 36 — 105.) ii. Death alone can end her despair. 

(11. 106 — 112.) iii. This loss must be due to the malice of 
the Jews. 

(11. 113 — 203.) iv. She recalls their cruelty, and the stages 
of the Passion — the scourging — the Crown of Thorns, and 
mocking — the nailing en the Cross — the piercing with the 
spear. 

(11. 204 — 266.) v. She breaks out into bitter reproaches 
against the Jews. 

(11. 267 — 301.) vi. Their last, worst deed has been to ste? 
His body from the Sepulchre. 

(11. 302— 329.) vii. She proposes to search for H' 
throughout the world. 

(11. 330—434). viii. If this be unavailing, she will oT J 
live a hermit's life in the wilderness. 

(11. 435 — 483). ix. She thinks of going to the Virgin 



for comfort, but remembering tbe Seven Sorrows of Mary, 
she dare not trouble her. 

(11. 484 — 616). x. She prays the Lord to come to her, 
reminding" Him how He raised from death her brother 
Lazarus. 

(11. 617 — 714). xi. She makes her List will and testament, 
and bidding a tender farewell to her Lord, commends unto 
Him her spirit. 

II. AUTHORITY. 

So far as we know there is no existing manuscript ol this 
poem. It was first printed in Thynne's edition of Chaucer's 
Works, London, 1532, and was reprinted in Stowe's edition of 
1 561, thus occurring in both of the truly representative 
editions of Chaucer's Works. Thynne's edition, therefore, is 
the only real authority, and in this respect takes the place of 
a manuscript ; for all later editions, being copied from his 
book, have no original value. 

Bibliography. 

The poem has been printed in all the older complete 
editions of Chaucer's works, of which the list is given in 
Professor Skeat's Chaucer, vol. I. p. 2q. 

1. Ed. by William Thynne ; London, 1532. Folio. Pr. 
by Godfray. Fol. ccclxi. 

2. Reprinted, with additional matter; London, 1542. 
Folio, p. cccl. The chief addition to the volume is the 
spurious Plowman's Tale. 

3. Reprinted, with the matter rearranged ; London, no 
date, about 1550. Folio, p. ccexxxv. 

4. Reprinted, with large additions by John Stowe. 
London, 1561. Folio, p. ccexviii. 

5. Reprinted, with additions and alterations by Thomas 
Speght ; London, 1598. Folio, p. 318. 

Here, for the first time, appear ' Chaucer's Dream ' and 
' The Flower and the Leaf ; both are spurious. 

6. Reprinted, with further additions and alterations by 
Thomas Speght ; London, 1602. Folio, p. 302. 

Here, for the first time, the following" note is prefixed to the 
poem : — " This treatise is taken out of St. Origcn wherein 
Mary Magdalen lamenteth the cruell Death of her Saviour 
Christ^ 

7. Reprinted, with slight additions ; London, 1687. Folio, 

537- 

. Reprinted, with additions and great alterations in 
ling, by John Urry ; London, 1721. Folio, p. 520. 
ms edition is tbe worst that has appeared. 



Later Editions. 

As these are all reprinted from the older editions, they have 
no authoritative value. The list of the older editions was 
drawn up by Henry Bradshaw, late Librarian of the Uni- 
versity Library, Cambridge ; that of the later ones is given 
in Bohn's edition of Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual of 
English Literature. 

q. The Works of Chaucer, Edinburgh, 1777. i8mo. 
12 vols. 

10. Again, Edinburgh, 1782. 121110. 14 vols. 
Published by Bell, in his edition of the British Poets, with 

engravings after Stothard. 

11. The Works of Chaucer, edited by S. W. Singer. 
London, 1822. Foolscap 8vo. 5 vols. 

12. The Works of Chaucer will also be found in the 
Collections of Poets, published by Anderson (1793 — 1807), and 

13. Chalmers (1810). 

14. Chaucer's Poetical Works, edited by Sir H. Nicolas, 
post 8vo. 6 vols. Part of the Aldine edition of the British 
Poets. Pickering, 1845. 

11, Poetical Works, with introduction, notes, memoir and 
glossary, by Robert Bell. London : Parker, 1 85 >. nmo. 
8 vols. 

It seems evident, that even in the case of the older editions, 
each of them was reprinted, with more or less mistakes, from 
the edition preceding, without reference to the original. The 
text of the Lamentation, given in this essay, is taken from 
Thynne's edition of 1532, in the Cambridge University 
Library. 

Tyrwhitt, who made an entirely new edition of the 
Canterbury Tales in 1775 — 8, rejects this poem as being by 
Chaucer. He says in his Glossary, s.v. Origenes : — " In the 
list of Chaucer's Works, in the Legend of Good Women, 
1. 427, he says of himself : — 

"He made also, gon is a grete while, 
Origenes tipon the Maudelcinc" — 

meaning, I suppose, a translation into prose or verse, of the 
Homily c.e Maria Mugdalena, which has been commonly, 
though falsely, attributed to Origen ; v. Opp. Origenis, 
T. ii. p. 291, ed. Paris, 1604. I cannot believe that the poem 
entitled Hie Lamentation of Marie Magdaleme, which is in all 
the [older] editions of Chaucer, is really that work of his. 
It can hardly be considered as a translation, or even as an 
imitation of the Homily ; and the composition, in every 
respect, is infinitely meaner than the worst of his genuine 
pieces." Chaucer, ed. Skeat, HI., 308. 



In order to prove that the language is "infinitely meaner " 
than that of Chaucer, we will examine in detail both the 
language and metre. 



LANGUAGE. 
Dialect. 

The poem is written in the East Midland dialect, the 
precursor of the modern literary English, and therefore 
presents few striking peculiarities. The chief characteristic 
of the Midland dialect is the termination of the present plural 
indicative in en instead of the Northern es or the Southern 
eth. These terminations were for the most part dropped at 
the period when this poem was written ; we have only one 
plural growen in 1. 346. There are no traces of any Northern 
influence, but in 1. 245 there is the Southern plural doth and 
in 11. 66, 101, 193 the Southern plural be is used instead 
of the Northern are. 

The characteristic distinguishing the East-Midland from 
the West-Midland is the formation of the present indicative 
Singular, the West-Midland having the forms hope, hopes, 
hopes, while the East-Midland has hope, hopest, hopeth. In the 
Lamentation we have in the 2nd sing, pres., knoivcst 1. 532, 
oughtest 1. 554, withdrawest 1. 566, constrainestl. 561, and other 
instances ; in the 3rd sing, pres., endure th 1. 395, brenneth, 
flameth 1. 590, expresseth 1. 610, and other instances. 

Vocabulary. 

With regard to the vocabulary, the first striking fact is the 
preponderance of French and Latin words in the Lamentation. 
This is somewhat above the average of Romance words in 
Chaucer. If we consider this fact in connection with the 
extremely limited nature of the vocabulary, the impression 
produced is, that this vocabulary was acquired from books, 
rather than through familiar conversation, or gained through 
intercourse, mainly scholastic, with a narrow social range, 
such as might be afforded by a conventual education. 

Some of the words introduced were not in very common 
use at that time, while occasionally the phrases and 
expressions sound forced and artificial. The following are 
instances of this peculiarity of usage. 

1. 1. " Plonged in the wawe of mortal distresse." 

Plonged occurs in Chaucer's Translation of Boethius in the 
form ploungen but is otherwise little used in early times. It 
occurs also in Malory's Morte d 'Arthur, 243, 30 (Caxton's ed.) 



1. 3- "Or who shal deuoyde this great heuynesse" (cf. 1. 424) 
" I shulde anone deuoyde al my greuaunce." Deuoyde as 
transitive verb occurs sometimes in Early English. See 
c. 1325, E. E. Allit, P.A. 15, "That wont watz whyle deuoyde 
my wrange." Also 1509, Hawes' Past Pleas. 45, 61, 63, 64. 

1. 5. " My lorde is gon alas who wrought this treyne" 

Treyne. Used in the sense of plot in R. of Brunne, also 
in Morte d'Arthur ed. Brock, 4192, in the expression " treson 
and trayne." 

1. 60. " Alas here is a woi ul permutation" 

Permutation. This appears to be the earliest reference for 
quadrisyllabic form of this word. Cf. Chaucer, Troil, v. 1541. 

1. 96. " Me to certifye of myne enquyraunce" 

Enquyraunce. See Enquiraunce, 1. 648. 

1. 119. " The bloode down reyled in most habundaunce." 

1. 181. " Downe rayled right faste." 

Raylle, meaning " to flow," is not in Chaucer, but is 
common in later authors, and is found in Lydgate's Storie of 
Thebes : " Vpon the pleyn he made her blode to raylle." Other 
instances are, in the Troy Book, Fol. R, 4. 

" The red bloud downe began to rayle." 

In a poem by Lydgate, edited in Furnivall's Political, 
Religious and Love Poems (E. E. T. S.), p. in. 

" My blody woundis downe raylyng by thys tre." 

See also Lydgate's Minor Poems, p. 220. It seems thus a 
characteristic of Lydgate to use this word in connection with 
blood or wounds. 

1. 120. " The bloody roivcs strerned downe ouer al." 

Rotves in the sense of beams, rays of light, occurs in 
Chaucer's Complaint of Mars, 1. 2. Compare reive, meaning a 
row, line, from A.S. nvw. The old word daiyreive, meaning 
" dawn," occurs in the Owl and Nightingale, and the Allitera- 
tive Poems. Chaucer employed the latter part of the word once 
only, and Lydgate took it from Chaucer and brought it into 
commoner use. See The Complaint of the Black Knight, 1. 596. 

" And whyl the twylight and the rowes rede." 

Also the Troy Book, Fol. E. 1. 

u Whan that the rowes and the rayes rede." 

Thus the introduction of this word also into the Lamenta- 
tion suggests that the author was influenced by Lydgate. 

1. 225. " I can nat reporte ne make no rehersayle 

Of my de?nenyng with the cyrcumstaunce." 
Rehersayle. Reherscn occurs in Piers Plowman. 

The form rehersall is given in Palsgrave. The word is 
found in a late piece called " Sir Peter Idle's Directions to his 
son," The Book of Precedence, Part I., p. no. 
"For callyng to rehersaill lest thou it rewe." 



10 

Rehersayll occurs twice in Caxton's Troy Book (about 1474), 
p. 453, 1. 20 ; p. 245, 1. 43. It also occurs twice in Malory's 
Morte d' Arthur (Caxton's ed. 1485), as rehersail, 2 22 > 2 5 I 
reversal, 611, 34. It was evidently thus becoming a common 
word at this time. 

Demenying, from vb. to demean 4- -ing. It means conduct, 
behaviour, demeanour, and is obsolete except in " demeaning 
of oneself," i.e., comporting oneself. The first instance of its 
use is in Lydgate's Temple of Glas, 750. " Hir sad demening." 
The verb demene occurs in Malory's Morte d'Arthur, (Caxton's 
ed.), 23, 7. 

1. 232. " Ah ye iewes worse than dogges rabyate." 
Rabyate. This is an extraordinary expression, of which I 
know no other example. Adjectives ending in -ate were of 
comparatively late introduction. Dr. Murray, in his note on 
-ate, in the English Dictionary, shows that this suffix was used 
to form participial adjectives from the Latin pp. in -atus. 
Some Latin p. participles survived in O. French, as confus 
from confusus, content from contentus. This analogy was 
followed in Later French in introducing new words from Latin ; 
and both classes of French words, i.e., the popular survivals 
and the later accessions being adopted in English, provided 
English in its turn with an analogy for adapting similar words 
directly from Latin by dropping the termination. This began 
about 1400. Latin -atus gave -at, and after 1400 -e was in- 
troduced to mark the long vowel. Ex. desolatus, deso/at, 
desolate. Examples of such adjectives in the Lamentation are 
Unfortunate, 1. 29, and disconsolate, 1. 515. In 1. 393, translate 
occurs as past participle. 

1. 270. " But yet they must embesyle his presence." 
Embesyle. Used transitively as meaning " to make away 
with," especially " to carry off secretly (what belongs to 
another person) for one's own use." In this sense now obsolete. 
First instance, 1397. Will of John of Gaunt, in Nichols' 
Royal Wills, 155. " Sans rien ent enbeseiller." Last instance, 

1750. Carte. Hist. Eng. II. 151. "Bibles chained so as 

not to be embezzled." See Murray's Eng. Die. under Embezzle. 
1. 497. " There is no more but dethe is my fynauncc." 
Fynaunce. Used in sense of ransom by Lord Berners, 
trans, of Froissart, i, 202, 312 (R.) "All the finances or 
revenues." (See Murray's Diet.) 

1. 533. " If thou withdrawe thy noble dalyaunce" 
Dalyaunce from vb. to dallv -\--auce. Probably found in 
Old French, but not yet recorded. It means talk, converse, 
usually of a light and familiar kind, but also used of serious 
conversation or discussion ; in this sense now obsolete. It 
occurs in 1447. Bokenham, Sevntys (Koxb.) 162. " Marthe 



II 

fyrst met hym [Christ] . . . And hadde wyth hym a long 
dalyaunce.'' 1496. Dives ct Pimp. (W. de W.) vi. xv. 259. 
" Redynge and dalyaunce of holy wryt." (See Murray's Diet.) 

1. 579. " Alas my lorde take fro me this dommagep 

Dommage here means loss, detriment, trouble or misfortune. 
Morte d'Arthur, damage, 59, 5 ; dammage, 72, 8. (See 
Murray's Diet.) Also frequently in Caxton's Troy Book. 

1. 606. " No answere receyuyng of myne enqniraunce" 

1. 648. " Ahvay to sertche and make due enqueraunce" 

Enqniraunce. This form does not occur in Chaucer, who 
uses instead enqneringc. See Man of Lawes Tale, 1. 888. 
"And thus, by wit and subtil enqueringe.'' 

1. 682. " My perle oriental.^ 

Oriental. This word occurs in Ch. Astrolabe, pt. i. sect. ; 
1. 4. It obtained the meaning '' Eastern, of superior quality," 
and is thus used in Chaucer's Legend of Good Women, 1. 221. 
"For of o perle fyne, oriental." Used for sapphires, see Prof. 
Skeat's note, Piers Plowman, b. 2, 14. 

1. 695. " Shal no more alas my mynde reconforte." 

Reconforte. This word occurs in Chaucer's Knight's Tale, 
2852. Also in Meiibeeus, 2168, and again in 2850, reconforted. 
The form recomforte occurs twice in Troilus. 

1. 704. "Thy blessed visage so replete with grace. 

Replete occurs in Chaucer, C. T. 1496^ (Nun's Priest's 
Tale). 

" Ne fynde yow nat repleet of humours hote." 

Replete, Caxton's Troy Book, 454, 26. 

From these instances it will be seen that this author has a 
fancy for employing words of Romance origin that are not 
commonly used, and for occasionally introducing them in 
quaint and somewhat artificial collocations. Also the fact 
that two or three peculiar words first made popular by 
Lydgate, such as rowes, ravlle, are found in the Lamentation, 
suggests that the author had been brought to some extent 
under the influence of Lydgate. 

c. Contraction and Elision. 

There are hardly any examples of contraction occurring, 
except, / not, 1. 4q, 68, for V" ne wot. In lines 12, 425, he is 
occurs pronounced as one syllable, the e being elided before 
the vowel following. Similarly here is, in 1. 598, and to arav, 
1. 233, in which latter case the is elided. 

Final e is apparently elided in the following, but was most 
likely not sounded : — waile and wepe, 1. 7 ; such** Is, 1. 29 ; 
complijytu' or spoke, 1. 49 ; and many other examples. 

It is also frequently suppressed in the common words wolde, 
shulde, have, inuste, etc. 



12 

Medial e is elided or slurred over in sustenatince, 1. 344 ; 
ucverthetesse, I. 481 ; otherwise, 1. 617 ; souerayne, 1. 692. 

Medial z' is slurred over in the words diri^e, 1. 641 ; charite, 
1. 642. 

Final ed is elided in : — plonged, 1. 1 ; brused, 1. T 53 ; pecrsed, 
1. 185 ; thrilled, 1. 195 ; caused, 1. 234 ; prechcd, 1. 236 ; 
hanged, 1. 279 ; and other examples. This marked tendency 
to the suppression of ed as a separate syllable is less common 
in other poets of the period. 

Final cs is much less frequently elided, but cases occur in 
rockes, 1. 335 ; paynes, 1. 66, 362, 386, 658 ; vnnethes, 1. 469 ; 
bones, 1. 80. The fact of this elision shows a very late date, 
as the use of the final es is sometimes exceptionally found even 
in Spenser and Shakespeare. In the later poems of Lydgate, 
es is still sounded. 

Final cr is slurred over in : — neucr, 1. 117, 234 ; euer, 1. 143, 
510; hereajtcr, 1. 262 ; lenger, 1. 372 ; euer I wepe, 1. 409 ; 
euer 1 go, 1. 412 ; mother, 1. 441 ; better, 1. 34. This is 
common in Chaucer in the case of neuer and euer. 

Final en as mark of the infinitive or plural of the verb, does 
not occur, except in growcn, 1. 346, therefore there are no 
instances of its elision. 

In studying the scansion of this poem we find that the 
practice of employing extra syllables, glided over very lightly 
or very lightly pronounced, is fairly common. 

c. Grammar. 

Infinitive. — The grammatical functions of the final e are 
confused, and in many cases lost, in this poem. Thus in line 
6, lordc is the A. S. hid ford, gone and layde are respectively 
strong and weak participles ; hence the final e is impossible in 
all cases. In 1. 2, compleyn, the c of the infinitive is dropped ; 
in other infinitives, save, vnderstonde, fonde, bcivaylc, endure, 
fynde, complaync, etc., the final e is kept, though, as has been 
shown already, in many cases it is not sounded. 

The only other instances in which the e of the infinitive is 
dropped are, tcl,\. 11, be fat, 1. 16, tel, 1. 73, rest, 1. 80, ren, 
1. 91, cat, 1. 103, appal, 1. 158, socour, 1. 217, aray, 1. 233, quel, 
1. 269, conucy, 1. 294, wander, 1. 320, dxvel, 1. 333, say, 1. 348, 
lay, 1. 363, let, 1. 367, brast, 1. 490, comfort, 1. 501, pas, 1. 525, 
pay, 1. 526, brest, 1. 542, accept, 1. 552, conuev, 1. 578, multiply, 
1. 592 (riming with dye), disceuer, 1. 707. The infinitives do 
and go are thus spelt invariably throughout. 

The spelling ren in 1. 91 maybe compared with renne in 
lines 310, 343. Similarly let in 1. 367 may be compared with 
lette in 11. 513, 552. Thus the c in the infinitive in this poem 



13 

is usually kept, but not sounded, the few cases in which it is 
dropped being verbs mostly ending in /, r, t,y. 

JDative Case. — There seems no clear instance of the final e 
remaining to mark the dative case. Dethe and blonde are 
usually so spelt, in whatever case they may occur. As these 
represent the A.S. dea\ and blod, it is evident the final c is 
wrongly added. 

Adjectives. — In Chaucer, adjectives have two forms, the 
indefinite and the definite, the latter being preceded by a 
distinguishing, demonstrative, or possessive adjective. The 
definite form of the adjective takes final e. We will see how 
far this rule is carried out in the Lamentation. 

1. 3. Great is used as definite form of the adjective, the 
final c being wrongly suppressed. Cf. also 1. q, " his great 
passyon ;" 1. 40, "their great vyolence ; 1. 236, "the right 
waye ;" 1. 264, " your good name." On the other hand, the 
final c is frequently preserved in this case. Ex. : 1. 6, "this 
sodayne chaunce ;" 1. 14, " my parfyte loue ;" 1. 42, " myne 
owne turtyl true ;" 1. 75, " his mercy dere ;" 1. 176, " a blynde 
knight ;" 1. 216, " my swete herte," etc. 

In line 127, " thornes sharpe and kene,'' the final e, marking 
the plural, is preserved. 

In Chaucer, monosyllabic past participles, when used 
adjectivally, may take a plural in e, but in this poem the final 
e is sometimes added wrongly to the singular, used predica- 
tively. Ex. : 1. 432, " he is paste ;" 1. 98, " my lorde is 
slayne ;" 1. 8, "that here in graue was layde ;" 1. 10, " who 
hath him betrayde." But this may be due to Thynne. 

Adverbs.— -In Thynne's edition of the Testament of Love, 
the words noivc and how j frequently occur, the spelling being 
a peculiarity of his. In the Lamentation we find many examples 
of this — e.g., no7ce, 11. 44, 105, 222, 265, 288, 313, 369, 426, 430 ; 
hoivc, 11. 184, 218, 327 ; and further instances. The final c in 
these cases is of course wrongly added. 

Summary. — From these facts we may conclude : 
i. That the final e, even when preserved, was frequently 
mute. 

ii. That it was dropped in many cases where it was 
grammatically required. 

iii. That it was added in many cases which were gram- 
matically incorrect, but in such cases it does not appear to 
have been pronounced. 

These general conclusions point to a date for the poem 
considerably later than Chaucer, who was most particular 
about the use of the final e, later also than Lydgate, who 
pronounced final e in the main as Chaucer did, and than 
Occleve, who was likewise careful in this respect. 



14 

IV. METRE. 
a. Peculiarities of Rime. 

11. 41, 42. True rimes Avith Jcsn. True in Chaucer is spelt 
trcwe, and the final e is always sounded. This instance proves 
the final c is not sounded here. 

11. 674, 676. Hue rimes with Jesu. Hue is from A. S. fo'w, 
therefore e is not sounded as final, but uc is meant to represent 
one vowel sound. It is possible that the // in Jesu was begin- 
ning to be sounded as the uc in modern sue, more especially as 
it is here also rimed with knave. See Ellis, Early English 
Pronunciation, p. 586. Early English Text Society, i86q. 

I. 47. Gone is the infinitive, from A. S. gdn, therefore there 
is properly no final c, but the c is merely written to mark the 
as being long. As in line 46, grone (verb) rimes with gone, 
the final c was not sounded in this word also. 

II. 91, 93, 92, q4, 95, give the rimes presence, diligence, 
sustenaunce, attendaunce, enquitauncc. It is possible that 
in all these words of French origin the final e was still 
sounded, as it is to this day in French words set to music, 
and in some dialects. 

1. j 05. Loste is a weak past participle formed from the 
A.S. hsian ; the pp. of leosan was loren. It has properly 
no final c ; it rimes with costc, (coast), from A.F. coste, 
therefore in this French word the c has become mute. 

1. 127. Kcne, from A.S. cenc, rimes with even, eyes. Both 
words must have been pronounced as monosyllables, but 
even so, the rime is imperfect. In Chaucer the forms are 
Kcn-c, y-e'n. Although he uses the verb die in the forms 
deye and dye, also the adjective high as hcyc and hye, he 
never uses but one form of eye, always pronounced ye, pi. 
yen, (iijd, itjJn.J Hence the occurrence of this rime alone 
would prove the Lamentation to be non -Chaucerian. 

1. 85. Dye, to die, rimes with why, from A.S. hwi, and 
also with nyc, A.S. ne'ah. In dye, the final c, marking the 
infinitive, is therefore mute. 

1. 146. Hens rimes with Lat. liquescens, and is thus a 
monosyllable. Chaucer has the forms henne, hennes. 

1. 169. Disguysed rimes with to-rvued, 1. 171, Avhich is 
a mere assonance. Professor Skeat, in his edition of 
Chaucer, vol. 6., p. lvi., shows that in the whole of 
Chaucer's works, only 3 possible instances of Assonances 
are found, and that all these instances are very doubtful. 

Book of the Duchesse, 79, 80 ; termc rimes' with yerne 
in Thynne's edition. But there is no M.S. authority for 
yerne, and it is quite possible that Chaucer wrote erme, 
which word he uses elsewhere. 



15 

Troil. v. 9. Most MSS. have clere to rime with grene 
and queue ; but some MSS. have shcuc. These three rimes 
also occur together in Pari. Foules, 296. 

Troil. ii. 884. Svkc rimes with cndytc and zvhvte. It is 
possible that Chaucer here wrote svtc. Hence there is no 
absolute proof that Chaucer ever employed Assonances in 
his poems. 

In Schick's edition of Lydgate's Temple of Glas, he says, 
" In three cases we find an assonance in place of the 
rhyme : 11. 125, 126 : ascape : take ; 11. 856, 858, 859 : 
perfourme ; refourme : mourne ; and 11. 1017, 1018 : accepte : 
correcte. We need not blame the monk too much for this 
oversight ; for sometimes, Assonances are put unawares by 
poets who are particularly conspicuous for the purity of their 
rhymes." Schick has also this footnote. " Assonances in the 
Black Knight have been pointed out by Skeat, in the 
Academy, Aug. 10, 1878, p. 144, col. 1 : forjudged : excused, 
274 ; ywreke : clepe, 284. 

It seems, therefore, that assonances are less uncommon in 
Lydgate's work than in that of Chaucer ; but there appears to 
be only this one undoubted instance in the Lamentation. 

I. 177. Souerayne rimes with hvavnc, 1. 179, and vaync, 
1. 180, from A. F. veinc. Hence the final e in vayne was not 
sounded. In Chaucer, souerayn in the masc. nom. dat. and 
ace. does not take final e, which is only added in the vocative 
and feminine. 

II. 1 07. Agayne, from A. S. ongean, rimes with payne, 
O. F. peine, showing that the final e in this latter case is not 
sounded. 

1. 200. To tore, pp. from A. S. to-teran, rimes with sore, from 
A. S. sdr. The form to tore as pp. occurs also in Chaucer, 
Canon's Yeoman's Prologue, 635. Professor Skeat, in his 
Chaucer, vol. 6. p. xxxi. has a long paragraph on the treatment 
of open and close 0, as shown in Chaucer's rimes. He says : — 
" These are distinguished by their origin. Thus open long 
(ao) arises (1) from A. S. a ; or (2) from the lengthening of 
A. S. short at the end of an open syllable. I have observed 
that Chaucer frequently makes a difference between the open 
that arises from these two sources." He then gives an 
analysis of rimes in which the open occurs, in Troilus, the 
Minor Poems, the Legend of Good Women, and the 
Canterbury Tales. From this he proves that, with the 
exceptions of the words more, before, and occasionally 
therefore, Chaucer keeps the two sets of words quite distinct, 
viz. (1) evermore, namore, more, lore, hore (from A. S. har), 
gore, ore (from A. S. dr), rorc, sore ; together with the French 
restore ; and (2) before, bore, y-bore, fore/ore, swore, therefore, 



16 

•wherefore. He further adds : — " In spite of all the exceptional 
uses of the two words more and before, we cannot but see, in 
the above examples, a most remarkable tendency to keep 
asunder two vowel-sounds which it must have required a 
delicate ear to distinguish." This is interesting, as proving 
exceptional care on the part of the author. 

We find accordingly that later writers did not take the 
same pains. Thus, in Lydgate's Complaint of the Black 
Knight, 218, we find sore (from A. S. sar) riming with 
tore, pp. (from A. S. tor en). 

Note that this last instance is exactly parallel to the one 
under discussion, which shows that the author of the 
Lamentation was also indifferent in the matter of riming 
these words together. 

1. 214. Crye, a shortened form of cry en, is from the A. F. 
crier, cryer. The fact of its riming with inccssanntly shows 
that the final e in the French word crye is now mute. 

1. 2iq. Slayne, from A. S. pp. slcegen, rimes with payne, 
another instance showing that the final e in the French word 
is not sounded. 

1. 309. Compact!, from O. F. compas, late Lat. compassum 
(ace), rimes with place, showing that the final e in the latter 
French word is not sounded. We do find in Sir Thopas the 
rime of gras withfllas, B. 1. 1 97 1 . 

1. 386. This stanza is most important, as proving that the 
sound of e in be was still distinct from the sound of y in 
inwardly. Throughout this poem there is no instance of 
these sounds being rimed together, whereas the sound of the 
y is shown by the fact that inccssanntly is rimed with crye, 
as noted above. The rimes in this stanza are be, me, (1st and 
3rd), inwardly, rewfully, wonderfully, (2nd, 4th, 5th), blee, sc, 
(6th and 7th). The fact that these vowels are thus carefully 
distinguished proves that the e had its old sound still pre- 
served, and had not yet become the modern e. 

Curtis, in his Clariodus, gives abundant evidence to show, 
from the riming of M. E. e with Fr. i, and the suffixes -ly and 
-lie, that in Scottish and Northern texts the sound of the e had 
already changed. Thus the vowel-sound in Early English me 
(mee) later became me (mii), and this change took place earlier 
in the North than in the Midland and Southern dialects. The 
fact that the older pronunciation of e (ee) was still preserved 
in a poem written so late as the Lamentation, shows that it is 
not written in the Northern dialect. 

1. 568. This line furnishes additional proof of the older 
pronunciation of c being retained, for the word the, modern 
English thee is rimed with the Latin word me. This occurs 
asain in lints 61 s, 616. 



17 

1. 5§9- Here also we have the word chariie riming with the 
Latin me, showing that e still represented the sound (ee). 

1. 428. Here rote, from Icel. rot, is rimed with wote, from 
A. S. writ, giving an instance of a close and open being 
rimed together. Professor Skeat shows that Chaucer most 
carefully distinguishes between the close and open 0. A very 
few exceptions to this rule are enumerated ; but the Icel. rot is 
given as one of the cases in which no exception is made. 

1. 456. The riming of pp. gone with vpon is an instance of a 
long open and short open being rimed together. As noted 
above, in discussing line 200, we find that Chaucer always 
distinguishes between these vowels, whereas Lydgate and later 
writers tend to confuse them. 

In the Cuckoo and Nightingale, stanza 41, w T e have bore, 
A.S, pp. borcn, riming with more, A.S. nnira, showing that in 
the beginning of the century these rimes were considered 
permissible. 

1. 653. Here we have the French word cost, Lat. costa, 
riming with gost, A.S. grist, and again with most, Old Mercian 
mast, showing indifference in the distinction of the finer vowel- 
sounds. 

1. 673. Face rimes with sol/ace. Hence the final e was not 
sounded in either of these words. This is also shown by the 
riming of face with alas, lines 575, 577. 

1. 618. Evermore, riming with restore and bore, affords 
an example of a long in English, a French long 0, and a 
short in English being rimed together. 

1. 6 [I. Faync, from A.S. fcegeu, riming with payne, Fr. 
peine, shows that the final e in the latter word is mute. 

A few additional examples may be given, illustrating the 
treatment of the final e. 

1. 282. Corse, A.F. cars, is rimed with deuorce and with 
force, hence the final c was mute in all these words. 

1. 295. Paradise, Fr. paradis, O.F. parvis, Late Lat. para- 
disian, is rimed with suffise, showing that the final c is not 
sounded in either word. In line 181, similarly wise is rimed 
with Paradysc. 

1. 138. Mercilcsse, formed from F. merci, and A.S. -leas, 
without, is rimed with largenessc and with cursydncsse, tend- 
ing to show that final c was sounded in none of these cases. 
Similarly, in lines 246, 248, mercylesse and woodncsse rime 
together. In lines 709, 711, 712, hcuincss, distresse, and 
mercxlcssc rime together. 

1. 36b. Inwardly, riming with remedy in line 368, is an 
instance of a word ending in -ly riming with a French noun 
ending in -ye or -ie (A. F. remedie from Lat. remedium). In Prof. 
Skeat's Chaucer, vol. 1, dealing with the Romaunt of the 



Rose, he gives as test III. of Chaucer's authorship the riming 
of -v with -y-e. On this point he says : 

" With two intentional exceptions (both in the ballad metre 
of Sir Thopas), Chaucer never allows such a word as trewely 
(which etymologically ends in -v) to rime with French sub- 
stantives in -y-e, such as fol-y-c, Jelos-y-c (Ital. follia, gelosia). 
But in fragment B, examples abound ; e.g., I, malady{e), 
1849 ; hastily, cornpany(e), 1861 ; worthy, curtesv(e), 2209 
and many more. This famous test, first proposed by Mr. 
Bradshaw, is a very simple but effective one." 

The riming of remedy with dye in line 369, is quite per- 
missible, as it is also found in Chaucer. Professor Skeat, in 
vol. 1, p. 8, mentions as one characteristic of Chaucer's work, 
" Words that, etymologically, should end in -y-c, rime together. 
These are of two sorls : (a) French substantives ; and (b) 
words in -v, with an inflexional -c added." Among the 17 
examples he quotes is dy-c, infin. mood, remedy-e, F. sb., 147Q. 

We may here note that the adverbial ending -ly has but one 
pronunciation throughout, this poem. It rimes either with 
itself or with such words as dye. Cf. lines 590, 592, 593, 
i/icessannt/v, multiply, dye; lines, 121, 123, 124, malyciously, 
inccssaunily, besy. In the middle-Scotch Romance Clariodus, 
however, Curtis shows that the suffix -ly had obtained two 
different pronunciations, as has been before mentioned. 

1. 461. There is only one instance of rimes with -ight ) 
namely right and pight t Hence there is no example of -ight 
riming with -yt, which, though never found in Chaucer, some- 
times occurs in later authors. Thus in the Romaunt of the 
Rose, Fragment B 2555, dight rimes with delyt. See Professor 
Skeat's Chaucer, vol. 6, pp. xxv., xxviii. 

Summary of results. — From' an examination of the rimes in 
this poem we can obtain the following general results : 

I. Final -c. In words derived from the French this may 
still have been sounded, as it is in French songs and dialects 
to this day. But on the other hand, all the instances collected 
go to prove (1) that the final -c in English words was already 
dropped ; (2) that the final -e in French words was also 
dropped. This loss of the final -e is evidence : 

a. That this poem is not written by Chaucer, since he is 
most careful in his use of the final e, especially where it is 
grammatically required. 

b. That the poem was written at some time during the 
15th century, as it was during this period that the right use of 
the final c was lost. In the 16th century it had disappeared. 
Thus the Court of Love, written in language of the 1 6th 
century, contains no examples of the occurrence of the final c. 
The fact that it is so frequently dropped in the Lamentation 






1 9 

proves that that poem was not written very early in the 15th 
century. 

II. Instances of words ending in -ly riming with words 
ending in -ye are against Chaucerian authorship. 

III. The occurrence of an assonance in such a short poem 
is against Chaucerian authorship, but connects this work with 
the time of Lydgate. 

IV. The riming together of 0, derived from A.S. a and 
A.S. short respectively, seldom occurs in Chaucer, but has an 
exact parallel in Lydgate's Complaint of the Black Knight. 
Compare also pp. bore and more in the Cuckoo and Night- 
ingale, stanza 41. Hence we have here another slight con- 
necting link with the work of this period. 

V. The fact that the sounds of e in be and of y in inwardly 
are kept quite distinct, shows that the older pronunciation of c 
was still retained. The change of c to u took place earlier in 
the North, and is illustrated in the Romance of Clariodus. 
Hence the Lamentation is either much earlier than Clariodus, 
or if other evidence shows it to be not of very early origin, it 
is manifestly not written in the Northern dialect. 

VI. The riming together of a close and an open 0, 
as in rote and wote (miswritten for woot), is against Chaucerian 
authorship. 

VII. Schick, in his edition of Lydgate's Temple of Glas, 
p. lxii., says : " All this shows that there is in Lydgate a 
considerable advance beyond Chaucer in the dropping of the 
final e in Romance words, or rather, to express it more 
exactly, Lydgate does not always refrain from doing at the 
end of a verse what Chaucer docs not hesitate to do in the 
middle . . . With Teutonic words, the monk seems to be 
far more careful ; I can only find one example of such 
rhymes in our poem which would be inadmissible in 
Chaucer's system." 

In the Lamentation we have found that the final c is 
constantly dropped in words of both Romance and Teutonic 
origin. As examples of the latter, note hue, kene, dye, 
true, knewe, wise, woodncssc. This points to a date later 
than that of Lydgate's earlier work. 

b. Accent. 

In compound words the accent was permitted to vary. 
Compare the lines : — 

4 " Fro me woful Mary II woful Magdaleyne." 
284 " Than had not befal II this wofiill deuorse." 
In these, the accentuation of woful is seen to varv. 
The word goodnesse which only occurs twice in this poem, 



20 

seems in both cases to receive the more modern accentuation, 
the accent being placed upon the first syllable. 

381 " His porte, his chore || his-'goodnesse euermore." 
669 " Pleaseth his goodnesse || to take it in gree." 

In Chaucer, words of a French origin commonly have the 
accent placed on a later syllable than at present ; e.g. honour, 
nature, acceptable. 

But in the Lamentation there are some curious instances of 
the accent being thrown upon an earlier isyllable. Thus 
lines 363, 364 end with reason, season. In line 22, note the 
verb adnertyce, and in line 678, the adjective excellent. In line 
124, the adjective besy has the accent on the termination. The 
word creature in lines 54, 207, seems to have kept its old pro- 
nunciation, as also dventare, 1. 78, sepulture, 1. 80, nature, 1. 18b. 
In line 584, fourth is apparently pronounced as a dissyllable. 

In Chaucer, words now ending in -ion ended in -7oun, and 
cases in which this ending becomes one syllable are very rare. 
But in this short poem there are several instances of the 
fusion of these syllables, while the accent is thrown earlier in 
the word, a sure mark of work considerably later than Chaucer. 
See lines 265, 266, nation, reputation ; lines 58, 60, 61, salud- 
cion, permutation, consolation. The general tendency of all 
these examples is to show that the language was passing into 
a later stage, in which the accent was being gradually shifted 
further forward. 

The placing of the accent on the unaccented syllable, as in 
the words mortal, 1. 1, besy, 1. 124, woful, 1. [84, and some 
others, is very frequently found in the poems of Occleve, and 
is a characteristic of his work. Cf. his Letter of C lipid : — 

1. 2. " The gentyl kynrede of godde's on hye." 

1. 4. " And al mortal folke seruen busely." 

c. Alliteration. 

From the earliest times, when alliteration was an essential 
characteristic of English metre, it has always been much used, 
especially by our greater poets. Chaucer in his works shows 
great skill in his handling of it ; we also find it is common in 
Lydgate, who is particularly fond of alliterating formulae. But 
in the Lamentation, alliteration is by no means strongly 
marked. We have no instance where it seems to be deliberately 
introduced for the sake of poetic effect. The only approach 
to it is in certain more or less stereotyped expressions. 
Examples of these are : — 1. 50, " ful sorie and ful sadde," 
— 1. 1 16, '' from toppe to the too," — 1. 204, " ruful. Roode," — 
1. 213, "I syghed and sore sobbed," — 1. 2=52, " man without 
mercy," — 1. 267, " these wicked wretches, these houndes of 
hel," — 1. 308, " His blyssed body,"— 1. 315, " O gentil Jesu," — 



21 

1. 40°» " walke and wander," — with a few more examples of 
like nature. 

d. Metrical Form. 

The metrical form of the Lamentation is that of the 7 line 
stanza, formerly brought to great harmonious perfection by 
Chaucer, and afterwards adopted by Lydgate as his favourite 
metre, and as such employed in the majority of his poems. 
This metre was also used by Occleve, Sir Richard Ros, Henry- 
son, James I. of Scotland, Dunbar, Hawes and others of 
Chaucer's successors. Each stanza consists of 7 five-beat lines, 
with the sequence of rimes a b a b b c c. 

e. Scansion. 

I. The normal line consists of five unaccented syllables* 
alternating with five accented syllables. There may be an 
additional unaccented syllable at the end of the line. The 
caesura usually comes after the second accented syllable. Ex : — 

(1) Alas for wo II to whom shal I compleyn. 

(2) This sodayne chaunce || perseth my herte so depe. 

In (2) note a slight variation formed by reversing the accent 
in the word " perseth." This is quite allowable, and occurs 
even more often in tbe first foot of the line. Ex : — 

(3) Plunged in the wawe ||6f mortal distresse. 

(4) After his great passyon || and dethe cruel. 

II. Another type consists of a line beginning with two 
unaccented syllables ; there are only a few examples of this 
throughout the poem. 

(1) Fro me wofiil Mary || wofiil Magdaleyne. 

(2) Thus 1 muste bewayle || Dolorem meum. 

III. There are some instances of the first (unaccented) 
syllable in a line being wholly wanting. Ex : — 

(1) Who hath him || thus agayne betrayde. 

(2) There is no II cure to my saluacion. 

(This line is probably imperfect.) 

(3) Ones If I might || with him speke. 

(4) Though I mourne Hit is no great wonder. 

(5) With their vengeaunce || insaciable. 

(b) Neuer man was borne || that felte siiche wo. 

IV. Note that all these lines just given, except the two last 
examples, are also instances of the " clashing " lines common 
as one of Lydgate's types of scansion, i.e., an unaccented 
syllable is wanting after the caesura, thus causing two accented 
syllables to come together. My reason for thinking that (4) is 
not an exception to these, is that the line with which it rimes 
is as follows : — 

And now I thinke || we be so farre asonder. 



22 

Here the final e in tlrinke seems to be mute, therefore it is 
probable that the final c in mourne was mute also. 

But instances also occur of clashing lines which have not 
suffered elision of the first syllable, and which therefore may be 
considered a fourth type. 

(r) Most beautiful || prince of al mankynde. 

(2) Consldring 16 || my lordes absence. 

(3) Which ruful syght || whan I gan beholde. 

(4) Bothe heuen and erth || might haue herde me crye. 

(5) As people of moste vyle || reputation. 

V. Some lines have an extra unaccented syllable inserted. 

(1) My herte is wounded || heron to thinke 6r muse. 

( 2) T6 satisfie their malice || they were ful besy. 

(3) They spit in his face || they smote here and there. 

(4) Riued a sonder || for their great violence. 

(5) As he had sayd ||in his special remembraunce. 

(6) Fiirwel Magdalen || departe must I nedes hens. 

(But here Magdalen was no doubt pronounced Maudleyii) 

(7) Partyng a sonder || the flesshe fro the bone. 

(8) With christal water || brought out of paradyse. 

It will be seen from these and many more examples, that 
the extra syllable usually comes just before or after the caesura. 

Of all these types, we may regard I as the normal, and 
IV. and V. as the commonest variations. Thus there is more 
regularity about the metre than might appear at first sight, 
though it is very different indeed from the harmonious, even 
flow of Chaucer's lines. 

f. C.ESUKA. 

Before leaving the question of metre, it is interesting to note 
this poet's use of the caesura, which is occasionally marked by 
a perpendicular line in Thynne's edition of the poem. A few 
instances of this are the following :— 

(1) Alas for wo | to whom shal I compleyn 

(2) Fro me wofiil Mary | woful Maadaleyne. 

(3) That nothyng can I do | but wayle and wepe. 

(4) This pitous chaunce | here in my presence. 

(5) Though he be farre hence | and nothyng nye. 

Of course these marks have little authoritative value, but 
we find, on examination, that they are usually rightly inserted. 
Occasionally, however, a different reading might be preferred. 

The caesura thus generally occurs in one of three places, 
i. After the second accented syllable. (1). 

ii. After the third unaccented syllable. (2), (4). 

iii. After the third accented syllable. (3), (5). 

This latter occurs much more seldom, yet the fact that it 
does occur shows the influence of Chaucer on his disciples, in 
introducing the moveable pause. This idea he borrowed from 



23 

the Italian poets, notably Dante, and used with great effect, to 
prevent monotony of rhythm. The French custom hitherto 
had been to mark the caesura uniformly after the 4th syllable 
in the line. Hence we find that late in life, Chaucer is bold in 
varying its position. Thus, this variation is not marked in 
the Man of Lawe's tale, but is clearly shown in the Knight's tale. 

The redundant syllable before the caesura was often found 
both in Chaucer and Lydgate, and was later used by the 
Elisabethan dramatists. The clash of two accented syllables 
before and after the caesura has been already noticed as a 
characteristic of Lydgate and of this poem. The caesura after 
the 4th syllable, commonly used in French poetry, was pre- 
ferred by Lydgate. As the caesura implies a. pause, redundant 
syllables can occur after it, just as they can at the end of the 
line. 

V. Comparison with other Poets and Poems. — It will now 
be interesting to see what can be discovered concerning the 
Lamentation by comparing it with the work of other well- 
known poets. 

a. Chaucer. 

With regard to Chaucer, it has been abundantly proved 
already from the poorness of the metre, the frequent loss of 
the final e, and the occasional false rimes, not only that it was 
not written by him, but that it was written considerably later. 
The poem does not even seem to owe much to his writings in 
any way, as there are no examples of any striking Chaucerian 
expressions. So far as he has had any influence at all upon 
the author, it appears only to have been through the medium 
of some of his disciples, such as Lydgate and Occleve. 

b. Lydgate. 

For there are distinct traces in this work that the writer has 
chosen Lydgate, who was very popular in his time, as a model 
in many respects. We have already noted the occurrence of 
peculiar words (see/. 11), that the poems of Lydgate had 
brought into more frequent usage. A more detailed comparison 
with The Temple of Glas and the Complaint of the Black Knight, 
will give further evidence of imitation on the side of metre. 

Comparison with the Complaint of the Black Knight. — At 
first sight there seems a general resemblance between these 
poems, both of which are written in the well-known 7-line 
stanza. But we may note the following points with regard to 
the Black Knight. 

(1) Lydgate 's Metre. — In his edition of Lydgate's Temple 
of Glas, p. lvii., Schick gives live types of Lydgate's five 
beat line. 



2 4 

A. The regular type, five iambics with an extra syllable 
sometimes added, and a well-defined caesura usually after the 
second foot. 

Ex. For thoi^t, constraint, || and greuous heuines [se - J 

B. Lines with the trochaic caesura, built like the preceding, 
but with an extra syllable before the caesura. 

Ex. And mani a stdri, || mo Jien I rekin can. 

C. The peculiarly Lydgatian type, in which the thesis is 
wanting in the caesura, so that two accented syllables clash 
together. 

Ex. For specheles || nothing maist )>ou spede. 

D. The acephalous line, in which the first syllable has been 
cut off, thus leaving a monosyllabic first measure. 

Ex. Unto hir, and to hir excellence. 

E. Lines with trisyllabic first measure. 

Ex. That was fei}>ful found, til hem departid de)>e. 

The two last types are very rare. 

Examples of above types from the Black Knight. 

A. And hertes hevy || for to recomforte. 1. 8. 

B. In May whan Flora || the fresshe lusty quene. 1. I. 

C. And many a tree — || mo than I can telle. 1. 74. 

D. Grene laurer, || and the hoolsom pyne. 1. 65. 

E. Even at the deth, || through-girt with many a wounde. 
This line, 291, seems the only possible example of this type 

in the poem. 

If these types are compared with the examples of scansion 
from the Lamentation, already given above {p. 21), it will be 
found that they closely agree, type A representing the normal 
type in the Lamentation, and types B and C the commonest 
variations. The clashing line in particular, type C, is of 
fairly frequent occurrence in our poem. 

(2) Final e. — Dr. Schick proves from very many examples 
that Lydgate still pronounced the final c in the main as 
Chaucer, adding, " Thus Lydgate decidedly stands in point of 
language, as in everything else, on the mediaeval side of the 
great gulf that intervenes between Chaucer and the new school 
of poetry which arose in the 16th century." 

(3) Language. — This has the following main charac- 
teristics : 

a. Frequent use of Chaucerian words and expressions 
For instances of Chaucerian words, we can note swogh, 
abreydc, grnffe, etc., in the Black Knight ; while for more 
general resemblances in expressions, compare the opening 
stanzas of the same poem with the first lines of the Prologue 
to the Canterbury Tales, and lines 218 — 224 with the descrip- 
tion of the Temple of Mars, in the Knighfs Tale. 

References to some of Chaucer's heroes are also illustrated 



2 5 

in the Black KnigMs allusions to Palamon, Arcite, Jason and 
Medea, Eneas, Theseus, etc. 

b. Owing to his choice of words, Lydgate's vocabulary 
strikes us as being much more modern than that of Chaucer. 
The latter uses many concrete Old English terms, which are 
now obsolete, whereas the former employs many abstract 
words of French or Latin origin, which are still in use, or at 
least intelligible. This is one of the points which Schick 
brings forward very clearly, in his criticism of this author's 
style. 

c. The range of Lydgate's vocabulary is very extensive. 
In this respect especially, he shows a marked contrast to the 
poet of the Lamentation. 

(4.) Classical Allusions. — There is abundant proof in this 
poem alone of Lydgate's acquaintance with the Classics. As 
instances, we may take his mention of Narcissus, Cupid, 
Pegasus, Diana and Acteon, Venus, Mars, Adonis, Niobe and 
others. Cf. also, " As straight as a Ram's horn," Lydgate's 
Minor Poems, ed. Halliwell, p. 171 ; "The legend of St. 
Austin at Compton," p. 135 ; "On the wretchedness of 
worldly affairs," p. 122 ; " Processioune of Corpus Christi," 
p. 95 ; " Devotions of the Fowls," p. 78. On the other hand, 
the author of the Lamentation, either from necessity or design, 
carefully refrains from any allusion to classical heroes or pagan 
mythology. 

(5) Personification. — As one other characteristic of Lyd- 
gate's work, we may note his introduction of allegorical 
personages, typifying the different virtues and vices. Instances 
of this are Malebouche, Fals-report, Disdayne, and Trouthe. 
There is no trace of any attempt at personification of abstract 
qualities throughout the Lamentation. 

For further observations on the Complaint of the Black 
Knight, see the Dissertation by Emil Krausser, Halle, 1896. 

Lydgate's Testament. — As both the Temple of Glas and the 
Black Knight are among Lydgate's earlier poems, it is 
advisable to examine also his Testament, given among his 
Minor Poems, Halliwell's edition, p. 232. We may assuredly 
conclude that this is one of his later works, from the way in 
which he speaks of himself. 

P. 239. "Among othre I that am falle in age. 
Gretly feblisshed of oold infirmyte, 
Crye unto Jhesu for my sinful outrages." 
Again, p. 240, " Age is crope in, callith me to my grave." 
With regard to the date of his death, Halliwell says, Intro- 
duction, p. vi., " It is very improbable that he survived as long 
as the year 1482, although most writers place the date of his 
death in that year . . . From the MSS. which remain of his 



26 

writings, I should be inclined to believe that he died before 
Edward's accession, and there appears to be every adjunct of 
external probability." 

From the preface to Steele's edition of Lydgate's Secrecs of 
old Phil/isophres, p. xvi., it appears that Lydgate did not long- 
survive the year 1450 ; and Koppel, Lydgate s Story of Thebes, 
Diss, 1884, p. 103, has shown that Lydgate was born in 1371. 
Cf. also Gattinger, Die Ly'rik Lydgate s, Wien, 1896. 

In his Testament, therefore, we may note the following 
points of resemblance to the Lamentation. 

(1) Similarity of certain words and phrases — e.g., eyen 
tweyne, p. 251 ; rayle, p. 262 ; damage, p. 235. 

(2) There are also two references to Longins or Longinus, 
the traditional name of the Roman knight who pierced the 
side of Christ, in this poem, pp. 234, 262. He is mentioned 
again in the Proccsshme of Corpus Christi, p. 97. 

(3) Concerning Alary Magdalene, the Testament contains 
the following lines, p. 236 : — 

"With Maria callyd Mawdeleyne, 

Erly eche morwe whil that my liffe may dure, 
Fro slouthe and slombre myself I shal restreyne, 
To seke Jhesu at his sepulture." 

(4) The fact that this poem contains verses headed Testa- 
mentum in nomine Jhesu at once recalls the Testament made 
by the Magdalene at the close of her Lamentation. 

The following differences, however, exist between Lydgate's 
Testament and the Lamentation. 

(1) The syllable es, here frequently written ys, is usually 
sounded. Cf. on p. 235. 

" In Poules pistlys || Jhesu men may reede, 
Multitude || of feendys to encombre." 

(2) The ending ioun commonly receives its full value, 
p. 237. " Condigne laiide || nor comendaciofm." 

" Of goostly food, || richest refeccioun." 
It has been shown that in the Lamentation we have 
examples of accent as in nation, reputation, and a few similar 
words. 

(3) In the midst of Scriptural and devotional musings, 
references are suddenly introduced to Orpheus, Cerberus, and 
other classical existences, whereas there is nothing to show 
that the author of the Lamentation had any acquaintance 
with Latin mythology. 

(4) Allegorical personages, such as female forms repre- 
senting Remembrance, Pensiveness, etc., are introduced in the 
Testament, while there is no attempt whatever at personifica- 
tion throughout the Lamentation. 

(5) Lydgate introduces a description of the Spring, with 



27 

its various kinds of birds and flowers, but the author of the 
Lamentation makes no reference whatever to external Nature. 

(6) Lydgate has several reminiscences of Chaucer, such as 
the lines on p. 243, 244, which at once recall the beginning of 
Chaucer's Prologue : 

" Whiche sesoun prykethe fresshe corages . . . 
First Zephyrus with his blastys soote, 
Enspireth Ver with newe buddys greene, 

The bawme ascendith out of every roote, 
Causyng with fiowrys ageyn the sonne sheene." 
The Lamentation, on the other hand, contains no striking 
characteristic Chaucerian expression. 

(7) Lydgate in his Minor Poems shows a marked prefer- 
ence for a refrain. Thus out of the 44 poems in Halliwell's 
edition, 28 are written with a refrain throughout, and in the 
remaining 16 are found occasionally short rondels, or a refrain 
lasting through two or three stanzas. But in the Lamentation 
there are no traces of a refrain of any kind. 

Two other works of Lydgate's are worth a short considera- 
tion, as being specimens of his religious poetry, which 
probably had more influence on the author of the Lamentation 
than his secular and political ballads. 

One of these is Lydgate's Life of St. Edmund, given in 
Horstmann's Altenglische Legenden, p. 378, which, as the 
author tells us, was translated from the Latin, and was written 
in the year when King Henry VI. held a Christmas festival at 
Bury. The monk of Bury evidently took much personal 
interest in all these doings, and in the patron saint of the 
place. The characteristics of this poem are, that the final c is 
sometimes sounded, the final es usually, and the final cd 
seldom. No refrain is introduced, and there are no marked 
traces of alliteration. To the Life there is prefixed an invoca- 
tion to the Saint, in which he is compared to the carbuncle, 
sapphire, ruby, amethyst, and emerald. The ending" -ioun still 
receives its full value, the accent being on the last syllable. 
The marks of language thus show that the poem was a little 
earlier than the Lamentation, while with the Invocation we 
may compare lines 680 — 684 in the latter work. 

Lydgate's Ballade in Commendation of Our Lady is given 
in Chalmers' British Poets, p. 546. With regard to the 
language, we find that final e is commonly sounded, and final 
es usually, but not always, thus again showing that the poem 
is a little earlier than the Lamentation. Alliteration is frequent, 
but there is no refrain. It is possible that Lydgate thought 
the refrain less suitable as a rule to religious poems than to 
secular ballads. Hence, if the author of the Lamentation 
studied Lydgate's religious poems chiefly, we can easily under- 



28 

stand the absence of a refrain in the latter work, at a time 
when it was affected by most poets of the day. 

Another point of importance with regard to the Commenda- 
tion of Our Lady is, that although Lydgate's work is much 
richer in wealth of language and allusions, there is a great 
general similarity of tone between the two poems. Beneath 
the extravagance of Lydgate's adoration of the Virgin, there 
are suggested at times faint touches of a spiritualised earthly 
passion, while the Magdalene's persistent lament for her spouse 
occasionally hints at a personal regret chastened into religious 
emotion. 

The Invocation introduced into the Commendation is in- 
teresting as containing the following comparisons. 

" O rody rosier, flowering without spine." 

" Trusty turtle, truefastest of all true." 

' A Ruby rubified in the passion 
Of thy sonne." 

" Semely saphreT 
With these, compare lines 564, 674, 679, 682, 683 in the 
Lamentation. Note that although Lydgate mentions many 
other birds, the turtledove is the only one spoken of here, just 
as the rose and lily are the only flowers. All other comparisons 
are to gold, pearl and precious stones. These facts are 
significant as suggesting that the author's experience of life 
may have been a narrow one. 

Summary. To sum up the chief points of comparison 
between the Lamentation and Lydgate's poems, we are guided 
to the conclusion that, although the work in question bears 
many resemblances to that of Lydgate, the marks of greater 
laxity in the treatment of final e and es, together with a far 
narrower range of thought and extent of culture, prove that 
it is not a production of the master himself, but of one of his 
later disciples. 

c. Occleve. 

Resemblances between the Lamentation and the work of 
Occleve are much less marked than in the case of Lydgate. 
The only striking feature which both authors have in common 
is the practice of throwing the accent frequently on an un- 
accented syllable. Instances of these from the Lamentation 
have already been given. In Occleve's Dc Regimine Princi- 
pum, Stanza 600, we have : — 

" Alle that they axed haden they redy, 
And they euer were on hym gredy." 

The chief differences are : — 

(1) In Occleve the final c is usually sounded, and the final 
es very frequently. See stanza 299. 



2 9 

" The steppes of Virglle in poysye." 

vSt. 603. " His sones bothe and his doughters also." 

St. 606. " Unto his chest, which thre lokkes hadde." 

It has been shown that in the Lamentation the final e is 

frequently dropped, and final es is usually mute. 

(2) Occleve's vocabulary is much larger and wider than 

that of the author of the Lamentation. It is also very 

different in kind, as Occleve uses many more English, and fewer 

Romance words. 

We have therefore no reason for assigning the poem to 

Occleve or to any imitator of his, and the whole weight of 

evidence goes to prove that the Lamentation is decidedly later 

than his time. He died about 1454. 

d. The Craft of Lovers. 

There is one anonymous poem, called The Craft of Lovers , 
printed in Chalmers' British Poets, vol. I., p. 560, which may 
furnish important evidence, as it is dated in 1448. The 
general style of it is different to that of the Lamentation, and 
it introduces refrains, but the test of language is important. 
The final e is occasionally sounded, and the final cs varies, 
being sometimes sounded and sometimes mute. A distinctively 
late mark is the pronunciation of such words as inspection, 
correction, adulation, supplication, with the accent thrown 
forward as in modern English. These facts callectively tend 
to show that it was written but little earlier than the Lamenta- 
tion, and we therefore arrive at about 1450 as the earliest 
limit of time for the poem in question. 

e. Hawes. 

Let us now examine The Passctymc of Pleasure, a poem 
composed about 1506 by Stephen Hawes, a disciple of Lydgate. 
The whole tone of this poem is also decidedly more modern 
than the Lamentation, and is a foreshadowing of Spenser, but 
an examination of the language gives the following results. 

(1) The final e does not appear to be sounded. 

(2) The final cd is occasionally sounded distinctly. 

Cap. XXXIII. v. 7. " My greyhoundes leped, and my stede 

did sterte." 

id. " Thro hedes he had, and he armed was." 

v. 14. " With fayned kindnes we do her so blynde." 

(5) The final cs is sometimes sounded distinctly, but more 

often not. 

v. lb. " But he my strokes might right well endure." 

v. 20. " Fayre golden Phebiis, with his beames read." 

v. 21. " With al my force cut of his hedes thre." 

Thus the conclusion arrived at is that the language of the 



3° 

Lamentation is not very much earlier than that of Hawes. 
And though the language is somewhat earlier, there is not 
much to prove that the metre is. 

VI. THEORY OF DATE. 

The results of this investigation may be thus summarised. 

1. It is impossible to place the Lamentation in the first half 
of the 15th century. Taking as ultimate limits the date of 
The Craft of L^overs, 1448, and the date of the Passe tv me of 
Pleasure, about 1506, the period 1460 — 1480 suggests itself as 
the approximate date of the poem. 

2. The style of the poem does not agree with that of any 
well-known piece, anonymous or otherwise. 

VII. ALLUSIONS AND LEGENDS. 

One point of interest remaining is the author's indebtedness 
to earlier authorities for the material of the poem, and general 
treatment of the legends connected with the Magdalene. 

1. The Latin quotations, the introduction of which is a 
marked feature in the work, are taken from the Vulgate, and 
more especially from the poetical books of the Old Testament 
and the Gospels. 

2. The mention of " a blynde Knight men called Longias," 
1. 176, is interesting, as Longius is mentioned once by Chaucer 
and three or four times by Lydgate in his Minor Poems. The 
origin of the legend is given by Professor Skeat. in his edition 
of the Vision of Piers Plowman, C. Passus XXI. 82 (note). 
See also his Chaucer, Vol. I. p. 457. 

3. In the substance of the poem, the author has kept very 
simply to the scriptural account in John xx. 11 — 18, assuming 
at the same time that Mary Magdalene is identical with Mary 
the sister of Lazarus and Martha ; see lines 583 — 5. The 
statement of her intention to go into the wilderness, 1. 330, 
might at first suggest a confusion with St. Mary of Egypt, but 
all these facts concerning the Magdalene's life can really be 
obtained from the version of the story given in the Early 
South-English Legendary, edited by Horstmann, p. 462, and 
in his " Sammlung Altenglischer Legenden," p. 148. This is 
a very old poem, originally in the East Midland dialect. The 
summary in the headings will give a clear outline of the 
substance of the legend. (The story is also given in Legends 
of the Saints, Scottish Text Society, 1888, pp. 256 — 284. 
Cf also Caxton's Golden Legend.) 

" Mary Magdalene was born in the castle of Magdala. 
Lazarus was her brother, and Martha her sister. Mary 



3i 

Magcilene's parents go to their long home. Their property 
is divided among their three children. Mary Magdalene is so 
'sin/ul that she gets a bad name. She repents, and goes to 
meet Christ with an ointment. She kisses Christ's feet, washes 
and wipes them. He reproves Judas and Simon the Leper for 
objecting. Christ forgives Mary Magdalene and drives seven 
devils out of her. He cures her sister Martha. Mary Magda- 
lene converts folk. She and other Christians are driven out of 
Judea and put, foodless, in a ship. They land at Marseilles. 
She preaches Christ to the idol-worshippers of Marseilles, and 
bids them believe on Him. Her Christian friends are left 
without food. She warns the Saracen queen and prince to get 
food. Mary Magdalene's folk are fed by the Saracen prince 
and his wife, who promise to be Christians if they get a son. 
The Saracen queen is with child. Her husband and she 
resolve to go to Rome. Mary Magdalene blesses them. On 
the voyage to Rome, the Saracen queen dies in childbirth. 
The babe has no milk. The Saracen prince leaves his dead 
wife and living child on a rock, and goes to Rome. The Pope 
welcomes and comforts him. St. Peter takes him to the Holy 
Land. St. Peter bids the Prince go back to Mary Magdalene, 
and be baptised. He finds his wife and child alive. Mary has 
kept the Saracen queen alive on the rock, taken her to the 
Holy Land, and brought her back. The Saracens are con- 
verted and baptised, and Marv goes into the wilderness for 
thirty years. Mary is daily lifted up toward heaven by angels. 
She tells her story to a hermit near her. She foretells her 
death, and is borne by angels to Bishop Maximus in Marseilles. 
They sing psalms. Mary Magdalene is shriven by Bishop 
Maximus, dies, and goes straight to heaven." 

This legend was intended to be read on St. Mary Magda- 
lene's day, July 22nd. It may be noted that several of the 
details are taken from the Life of St. Mary of Egypt. 

VIII. AUTHORSHIP. 

With regaid to the authorship of this poem, we have 
reached the negative conclusion, that it is not by any well- 
known author, but by some disciple of Lydgate. But from 
examining the substance and treatment of the work, it is 
possible to arrive at something more definite than this. 

(1) The authorities familiar to the writer were : — 

a. The Latin Vulgate, more especially the poetical books, 
such as the Psalms, Job, Song of Solomon, Lamentations — and 
the Gospels. 

b. The legends of the Saints, especially St. Mary Magdalene, 
and Longius or Longinus. 



32 

c. The poems of Lyclgate, more particularly the religious 
poems, which would perhaps be considered sufficiently de-i 
votional to be suitable as conventual literature. The pro- 
bability that the author was not acquainted with Lydgate's 
secular ballads arises from the fact that there is in our poem no 
attempt at refrain, and no allusions to the world of external 
nature, the world of chivalry, the wealth of stories drawn from 
the classics and their mythology, or the world of imagination, 
in which allegorical figures, personified Virtues and Vices, 
played so large a part in those times. The absence of any 
reference to these things, even through the medium of another 
writer's influence, proves that the education and reading of our 
author must have been of a very limited and circumscribed 
character. 

(2) If we next examine the only allusions to Nature 
occur ing in this poem — " my turteldoue, so fresshe of hue " — 
"fayrer than rose, sweter than lylly flower " — and the preced- 
ing description of the Wilderness, 

" Alone in woodes, in rocks, and in caues depe " — 

" Rotes that growen on the craggy stone 
Shal me suffyse with water of the lake," — 
we cannot imagine that the writer has had any experience 
of the beauties of natural scenery, the pleasures of a spring 
morning, the open-air life of the woods, which enters so largely 
into the poetry of Chaucer and his followers. A poet of this 
school would not have missed the splendid opportunity for a 
description at the beginning of this poem — the beautiful, lonely 
garden of Gethsemane — the dim, awed hush of the twilight 
just before dawn — the tall, silent trees and dewy grass and 
flowers — the first streaks of sunlight in the East, and all the 
early freshness of that Easter morning. We should probably 
even have been told the names of all the different kinds of 
trees in the garden, and the various meanings that the songs 
of the laverock, nightingale, turtle dove, popinjay and others, 
were intended to have for the ear of the sorrowing Magdalene. 
We cannot imagine that the crushing weight of some great 
grief had rendered the writer dead to all external influences of 
Nature ; for a sorrow that had reached the stage of expressing 
itself in 714 lines, would, like Tennyson's "In Memoriam," 
have drawn all outward impressions into the circle of its 
emotion. Only the life-history of a cloistered monk or nun, 
placed from earliest childhood within the sheltering walls of 
the convent, and occupied by day and night in acts of devotion, 
could explain this apparent insensibility of a poetical nature to 
the manifold beauties of the earth. 

(3) In the absence of any but internal evidence to decide, 
there seems every reason to suppose that this poem was written 



33 

by a woman, who was also a nun. Chaucer, that great student 
of human nature, was particularly successful in his analysis of 
different types of female character, and has left us several 
masterly and faithful portraits. But none of his disciples ever 
attained the same power. It is not found in the poems of the 
Monk of Bury, to whom all women were merely as types of 
angels to be worshipped, or sirens to be guarded against. 
Hence if any man, writing in those times, had sought to put 
himself in the place of a woman deprived of the object of her 
love, and give expression to the outpouring of her feelings, the 
probability is that he would have missed one or two curiously 
feminine traits that prevail in this poem. One of these is the 
varying change of moods through which the Magdalene 
passes : — the grief of loss, the bitter abuse of those who have 
caused it, sympathy with the physical sufferings of her beloved, 
a wild and vague desire to do something — anything, a wish to 
seek, and yet to avoid the society of the Virgin, renewed sense 
of loss, and resignation to approaching death. These changes 
show the subtle phases of a nature striving to luxuriate in 
its own capacity for emotion, and satisfy through imagination 
its craving for excitement. 

Another trait is the prevalence throughout of strong per- 
sonal feeling, restricted within a narrow range. It has been 
said that it is a characteristic of women to give general state- 
ments a personal application ; and this is true, not merely of 
the intellectual, but of the emotional side of their nature, as 
is shown in the above poem. 

It is also worth noting, that although there is throughout 
the tone of affectionate regret, there is no mention of past 
sins, repentance or remorse, which might have been included 
in a conception of the Magdalene's character. This suggests 
that the poem is written by a woman still young in years, 
who perhaps did not survive to accomplish any work more 
perfected in form or richer in mental experience. 

The only known authoress of this period is the anonymous 
lady who wrote the Flower and the Leaf, perhaps also the 
Assembly of Ladies. As she is evidently a follower of the 
Diana whom she celebrates in her verse as queen, her style- 
has nothing whatever in common with that of the pale 
dreamer of the Magdalene's sorrows. The next writer of any 
account is she who championed her sex in the spirited ballad 
of the Nutbrown Maid. Between these two, the Queen of 
Beauty at the tournament, and the nymph of the greenwood, 
there moves across the world's stage the shadowy figure of a 
young nun, to vanish unnoticed and unknown. 

BERTHA M. SKEAT. 



34 
MARIA MAGDALENA. 

(Freeh translated from the Danish poem by Christian K. F. Molbech, 
by W. W. Skkat, in 1865). 

Lone, beside the wavy streamlet, 

Paced Maria Magdalena ; 
With the rest she had not followed, 

Knew not that the Lord had risen. 

Lone, beside the wavy streamlet, 

Paced Maria Magdalena; 
Lo ! the grief her breast doth harbour 

Fast in shining tears is streaming. 

In the grove's dim depth she gathers 

Cypress-wreaths and canker-roses ; 
Twining still, with sighs of sorrow, 

Sprays and buds, to form a garland. 

To the fatal mountain's summit 

Will Maria bear the garland : 
This shall be her mournful tribute, 

Latest gift of her affection. 

With the blossoms' spreading fragrance 

Mingles she her sighs of sorrow ; 
Through the air on high ascending 

These shall tell her tale of anguish. 

Hark ! a gentle voice she heareth— 
" Wherefore weepeth Zion's daughter ? 

What the grief, that thus conducts her 
Hither to the grove of cedars ? " 

" Art thou he that tends the garden ? 

Say, I pray, where Jesus lieth ? 
In the grave he lies no longer 

'Neath the stones of weighty marble." 

Hark ! the voice, in tones of kindness, 

Utters but the word " Maria." 
From her eyes that instant falleth 

Doubt's dim veil — at once she knows Him. 

" 'Tis the Lord ! " — with joy she kneeleth 
Where but now her tears were falling ; 

On his face her eyes are fastened, 
Gladly she her arms extendeth. 

Backward drew the holy Jesus ; 

Nay, not yet may hand of mortal 
Dare to touch Him ; yet she weepeth 

O'er His feet sweet tears of gladness. 

Lone, beside the wavy streamlet, 

Paced Maria Magdalena ; 
Lo ! the joy her breast doth harbour 

Sounds on high from lips that praise Him. 



[Note. — The text of this poem is taken from Thynne's first edition, 
that of 1532. I have inserted punctuation marks, as they 
arc not in the original. B.M.S.] 



THE LAMENTATYON OF MARY 
MAGDALEYNE. 



Plonged in the wawe of mortal distresse, 

Alas for wo ! to whom shal I compleyn ? 

Or who shal deuoyde this great heuynesse 

Fro me woful Mary, Avoful Magdaleyne ? 

My lorde is gon : alas ! who wrought this treyne ? 5 

This sodayne chaunce perseth my herte so depe, 

That nothyng can I do but wayle and wepe. 

My lorde is gone that here in graue was layde, 

After his great passyon and dethe cruel ; 

Who hath him thus agayne betrayde ? 10 

Or what man here aboute can me tel 

Where he is become, the prince of Israel, 

Jesus of Nazareth, my gostly socour, 

My parfyte loue and hope of al honour ? 

What creature hath him hence caryed ? 15 

Or howe might this so sodainly befal ? 

I wolde I had here with him taryed, 

And so shulde I have had my purpose al. 

I bought oyntmentes ful precious and royal, 

Wherwith I hoped his corps to *anoynted, 20 

But he thus gone, my mynde is dispoynted. 

Whyle I therefore aduertyce and beholde 

This pytous chaunce here in my presence, 

Ful lytel maruayle though my herte be colde, 

Consydring, lo, my lordes absence. 25 

Alas ! that I so ful of neglygence 

Shulde be founde, bycause I come so late ; 

Al men may saye I am infortunate. 

* Insert [han]. 



36 

Cause of my sorowe men may vnderstonde 

1 (Quia. tulerunt dominum raeum). 30 

Another is, that I ne may fonde, 

I wot nere 2 Ubi posuerunt eum. 

Thus I muste bewaile 3 Dolorem meum 

With herty wepyng, I can no * better deserue 

Tyl dethe approche, my herte for to kerue. 35 

My herte opprest with sodayne auenture, 

By feruent anguysshe is bewrapped so, 

That longe this lyfe I may nat endure, 

Such is my payne, suche is my mortal wo. 

Neuerthelesse, to what partie shal I go, 40 

In hope to fynde myne owne turtyl true, 

My lyues ioye, my souerayne lorde Eesu ? 

Sythe al my ioye that I cal his presence 

Is thus remoued, nowe I am ful of mone ; 

Alas, the whyle ! 1 made no prouydence 45 

For this mishap, wherefore I syghe and grone. 

Socour to fynde, to what place might I gone ? 

Fayne I wolde to some man my herte breke, 

I not to whom I may complayne or speke. 

Alone here I stande, ful sorie and ful sadde, 50 

Whiche hoped to haue sene my lorde and kyng ; 

Smal cause haue I to be mery or gladde, 

Remembring this bytterful departyng. 

In this worlde is no creature lyuyng 

That was to me so good and gracious, 55 

His loue also than guide more precious. 

Full sore I syghe without comforte agayne, 

There is no cure to my saluacion, 

His brennyng loue my hert so dothe constrayne ; 

Alas ! here is a woful permutacion, 60 

Whereof I fynde no ioye nor consolacion, 

Therefore my payne al onely to confesse, 

With dethe I feare wol ende my heuynesse. 

This wo and anguysshe is intolerable, 

If I byde here, lyfe can I nat sustayne ; 65 

If I go hence, my paynes be vncurable ; 

Where him to fynde, I knowe no place certayne. 

And thus I not of these thynges twayne 

Whiche I may take, and whiche I may refuse, 

My herte is wounded heron to thinke or muse. 70 

1 Joan. xx. 13. 2 id. 3 Job x. D. 20. * For bet'i 



37 

A whyle I shal stande in this mournyng, 

In hope if any visyon wol appere, 

That of my loue might tel some good tydyng, 

Whiche in-to ioy might chaunge my wepyng chere. 

I trust in his grace and his mercy dere ; 75 

But at the leest, though I therwith me kyl, 

I shal nat spare to wayle and wepe my fyl. 

And if that I dye in suche auenture, 

I can no more but welcome as my chaunce, 

My bones shal rest here in this sepulture, 80 

My lyfe, my dethe, is at his ordynaunce. 

It shal be tolde in *euerlastyng remembraunce, 

Thus to departe is to me no shame, 

And also thereof I am nothyng to blame. 

Hope agaynst me hath her course ytake. 8; 

There is no more, but thus shal I dye. 

I se right wel my lorde hath me forsake, 

But in my conceyte cause knowe I none why : 

Though he be farre hence and nothing nye, 

Yet my woful herte after him dothe seke, 9c 

And causeth teeres to ren downe by my cheke. 

Thynkyng, alas ! I haue loste his presence, 

Whiche in this worlde was al my sustenaunce, 

I crye and cal with herty dilygence, 

But there is no wight gyueth attendaunce, 95 

Me to certifye of myne enquyraunce : 

Wherfore I wyl to al this worlde bewraye 

Howe that my lorde is slayne and borne awaye. 

Though I mourne, it is no great wonder, 

Sythe he is al my ioye in special ; 100 

And nowe I thynke, we be so farre a-sonder, 

That him to se I feare neuer I shal. 

It helpeth no more after him to cal, 

Ne after him to enquyre in any coste : 

Alas ! howe is he thus gone and loste ? 105 

The iewes, I thynke, ful of misery, 

Sette in malyce by their besy cure 

With force and might of gyleful trechery, 

Hath entermyned my lordes sepulture, 

And borne away that precious fygure, no 

Leuyng of it nothyng ; if they haue done so, 

Marred I am : alas ! what shal I do ? 

* Omit euer. 



38 

With their vengeaunce insaciable 

Nowe haue they him entreated so, 

That to reporte it is to lamentable; 115 

They bete his body from toppe to the too. 

Neuer man was borne that felte suche wo ! 

They wounded him, alas ! with al greuaunce, 

The bloode down reyled in most habundaunce. 

The bloody rowes stremed downe ouer al, 120 

They him assayled so malyciously 

With their scourges and strokes beestyal ; 

They spared nat, but smote incessauntly. 

To * satisfye their malyce they were ful besy ; 

They spyt in his face, they smote here and there, 125 

He groned ful sore, and swette many a tere. 

They crowned him with thornes sharpe and kene, 

The vaynes rent, the bloode ran down a-pace, 

With bloode ouercome were bothe his eyen, 

And bolne with strokes was his blessed face; 130 

They him entreated as men without grace, 

They kneled to him, and made many a scorne, 

Lyke helhoundes they haue him al to-torne. 

Vpon a mighty crosse in length and brede, 

These turmentours shewed their cursydnesse, 135 

They nayled him without pyte or drede, 

His precious bloode brast out in largenesse. 

They strayned him along as men mercilesse, 

The very ioyntes al, to myne apparence, 

Ryued a-sonder for their great vyolence. 140 

Al this I beholdyng with myn eyen twayne, 
Stode there besyde with ruful attendaunce, 
And euer me thought he, beyng in that payne, 
Loked on me with dedly countenaunce, 
As he had sayd in his special remembraunce, 145 

" Farwel, Magdalen, departe must I nedes hens, 
My herte is J Tanquam cera liquescens.'" 

Whiche ruful syght whan I gan beholde, 

Out of my wytte I almoste distraught, 

Tare my heere, my handes wrange and folde, 150 

And of that sight my hert dranke such a draught 

That many a fal swounyng there I caught ; 

I brused my body fallyng on the grounde, 

Whereof I fele many a greuous wounde. 

* fatisfye, Thynne. I Psal. xxi.. 15- 



39 

Than these wretches, ful of al frowardnesse, 155 

Gaue him to drinke eysel tempred with gal : 

Alas ! that poyson ful of bytternesse 

My loues chere caused than to appal. 

And yet therof might he nat drinke at al, 

But spake these wordes, as him thought best, 160 

" Father of heuen, l Consummatum est." 

Than kneled I downe in paynes outrage, 

Clyppyng the crosse within myn armes twayn, 

His bloode distylled downe on my vysage, 

My clothes eke the droppes dyd distayne. 165 

To haue dyed for him I wolde ful fayne, 

But what shulde it auayle if I dyd so, 

Sythe he is 2 Suspensus in patibulo ? 

Thus my lorde ful dere was al disgysed 

With bloode, payne, and woundes many one, 170 

His veynes brast, his ioyntes al to-ryued, 

Party ng a-sonder the flesshe fro the bone ; 

But I sawe he hynge nat there alone, 

For 3 Cum iniquis deputatus est, 

Nat lyke a man, but lyke a leprous beest. 175 

A blynde knight men called Longias, 

With a speare aproched vnto my souerayne, 

Launsyng his syde ful pytously, alas ! 

That his precious herte he claue in twayne. 

The purple bloode eke fro the hertes vayne 180 

Downe ray led right faste in most ruful wyse, 

With christal water brought out of paradyse. 

Whan I behelde this woful passyon, 

I wote nat howe by sodayne auenture 

My herte was peersed with very compassyon, 185 

That in me remayned no lyfe of nature ; 

Strokes of dethe I felte without measure, 

My dethes wound I caught, with wo opprest, 

And brought to poynt as my herte shuld brest. 

The wounde hert and blood of my darlyng 190 

Shal neuer slyde fro my *remorial ; 

The bytter paynes also of tourmentyng 

Within my soule be grauen principal. 

The speare, alas ! that was so sharpe withal, 

So thrilled my herte as to my felyng, 195 

That body and soule were at departyng. 

1 Joan. xix. 30. 2 Esth. vii. d. 10. 3 Luc. xxii. D. 38. * For memorial? 



4 o 

As sone as I might, I releued vp agayne, 

My brethe I coude nat very wel restore, 

Felyng my selfe drowned in so great payne, 

Both body and soule me thought were al to-tore ; 200 

Vyolent falles greued me right sore, 

I wepte, I bledde, and with my selfe I fared 

As one that for his lyfe nothyng had cared. 

I, lokyng vp to that ruful Roode, 

Sawe first the vysage pale of that fygure, 205 

But so pytous a syght, spotted with bloode, 

Sawe neuer yet no lyueng creature ; 

So it exceded the boundes of measure, 

That mannes mynde, with al his wyttes fyue, 

Is nothyng able that payne for to discryue. 210 

Than gan I there myne amies to vnbrace, 

Vp lyftyng my handes ful mournyngly, 

I syghed and sore sobbed in that place, 

Bothe heuen and erth might haue herde me crye, 

Wepyng, and sayd ''alas!" incessauntly ; 215 

Ah my swete herte, my gostly paramour, 

Alas, I may nat thy body socour ! 

blessed lorde, howe feirse and howe cruel 
These cursed wightes nowe hath the slayne, 
Keruyng, alas ! thy body euerydel, 220 
Wounde within wounde, ful bytter is thy payne ; 
Nowe wolde that I might to the attayne, 

To nayle my body fast vnto thy tree, 

So that of this payne thou might go free. 

1 can nat reporte ne make no rehersayle 225 
Of my demenyng with the cyrcumstaunce, 

But wel I wote the speare with euery nayle 

Thirled my soule by inwarde resemblaunce, 

Whiche neuer shal out of my remembraunce ; 

Duryng my lyfe it wol cause me to wayle, 230 

As ofte as I *remenbre that batayle. 

Ah ye iewes, worse than dogges rabyate, 

What moued you thus cruelly him to aray ? 

He neuer displeased you, nor caused debate, 

Your loue and true hertes he coueyted aye, 235 

He preched, he teched, he shewed the right waye ; 

Wherfore ye, lyke tyrantes wode and waywarde 

Now haue him thus slayne for his rewarde. 

. . 

* For remembre. 



4i 

Ye ought to haue remembred one thyng special, 

His fauour, his grace and his magnifycence, 240 

He was )'Our prince borne, and lord ouer al, 

Howe be it ye toke him in smal reuerence ; 

He was ful meke in suffryng your offence, 

Nevertheles ye deuoured him with one assent, 

As hungry wolues doth the lambe innocent. 245 

Where was your pyte, o people mercylesse, 

Armyng your selfe with falsheed and treason ? 

On my lorde ye haue shewed your vvoodnesse, 

Lyke no men, but beestes without reason. 

Your malyce he suffred al for the season, 2;o 

Your payne wol come, thynke it nat to slacke ; 

Man without mercy of mercy shal lacke. 

ye traytours and maintayners of madnesse, 
Vnto your folly I ascribe al my paine ; 

Ye haue me depriued of ioye and gladnesse, 255 

So dealing with my lorde and souerayne. 
Nothyng shulde I nede thus to complayne 
If he had lyued in peace and tranquillyce, 
Whom ye haue slayne through your iniquite. 

Farwel your nobleness, that somtyme dyd rayne, 260 

Farewel your worshyp, glorie and fame, 

Here-after to lyue in hate and disdayne, 

Maruayle ye nat for your trespas and blame ; 

Vnto shame is turned al your good name, 

Vpon you nowe woll wonder euery nacion, 265 

As people of moste vyle reputacion. 

These wicked wretches, these houndes of hel, 

As I have tolde playne here in this sentence, 

Were nat content my dere loue thus to quel, 

But yet they muste embesyle his presence ; 270 

As I perceyue, by couert vyolence 

They haue him conueyed, to my displesure, 

For here is lafte but naked sepulture. 

Wherfore of truthe and rightful iugement, 

That their malyce agayne may be acquyted, 275 

After my verdyte and auysement, 

Of false murder they shal be endyted : 

Of thefte also, whiche shal nat be respyted, 

And in al haste they shal be hanged and drawe ; 

1 wol my selfe plede this cause in the la we. 280 



42 

Alas ! if I with true attendaunce 

Had styl abydden with my lordes corse, 

And kept it stil with trewe perceueraunce, 

Than had nat befal this woful deuorse. 

But as for my payne, welcome and no force ; 285 

This shal be my songe where so euer I go, 

Departyng is grounde of al my wo. 

I se right wel nowe in my paynes smerte, 

There is no wounde of so greuous dolour, 

As is the wounde of my careful herte, 290 

Sythe I haue loste thus my paramour ; 

Al swetnesse is tourned in-to sour, 

Myrthe to my herte nothyng may conuey, 

But he that beareth thereof bothe locke and key. 

The ioye excellent of blyssed paradyse 295 

Maye me, alas ! in no wyse recomforte ; 

Songe of angel nothyng may me suffyse 

As in myne herte nowe to make disporte. 

Al I refuse but that I might resorte 

Vnto my loue, the wel of goodlyheed, 300 

For whose longyng I trowe I shalbe deed. 

Of paynful labour and tourment corporal 

I make thereof none exceptioun ; 

Paynes of hel I wol passe ouer al, 

My loue to fynde in myne affectioun, 305 

So great to him is my delectatioun : 

A thousande tymes martred wolde I be, 

His blyssed body ones if I might se. 

About this worlde, so large in al compace, 

I shal nat spare to renne my lyfe duryng, 310 

My fete also shal nat rest in one place, 

Tyl of my loue I may here some tidyng, 

For whose absence my handes nowe I wryng : 

To thynke on him cease shal neuer my mynd. 

O gentyl Iesu, where shal I the fynde ? 315 

Ierusalem wol I sertche place fro place, 

Syon, the vale of Iosophath also ; 

And if I fynde him nat in al this space, 

By mount Olyuet to Bethany wol I go ; 

These wayes wol I wander and many mo, 320 

Nazareth, Bethleem, Mountana, Iude, 

No traueyle shal me payne him for to se. 



43 

His blyssed face if I might se and fynde, 

Sertche I wolde euery coste and countrey, 

The fardest parte of Egipt or hote Inde, 325 

Shulde be to me but a lytel iourney. 

Howe is he thus gone or taken away ? 

Yf I knewe the ful trouthe and certente, 

Yet from this care released might I be. 

In-to wyldernesse I thynke best to go, 330 

Sith I can no more tidynges of him here ; 

There may I my lyfe lede to and fro, 

There may I dwel, and to no man appere ; 

To tovvne ne vyllage wol I come nere, 

Alone in woodes, in rockes, and in caues depe, 335 

I may at myne owne wyl both wayle and wepe. 

Myne eyen twayne, withouten varyaunce, 

Shal neuer cease, I promyse faithfully, 

There to wepe with great abundaunce 

Bytter teares rennying incessauntly, 340 

The whiche teares medled ful pitously 

With the very blode euer shal renne also, 

Expressyng in myne herte the greuous wo. 

Worldly fode and sustenaunce I desyre none, 

Suche lyueng as I fynde, suche wol I take ; 345 

Rotes that growen on the craggy stone 

Shal me suffyse, with water of the lake. 

Than thus may 1 say for my lordes sake, 

1 (Fuerunt mihi lachrime 2 me) 

(In deserto panes, die ac nocte). 350 

My body to clothe it maketh no force, 

A mournyng mantel shalbe suffycient ; 

The greuous woundes of his pytous corse 

Shalbe to me a ful royal garnement : 

He departed, thus I am best content. 355 

His crosse with nayles and scourges withal 

Shalbe my thought and payne special. 

Thus wol I lyue, as I haue here tolde, 

If I may any longe tyme endure, 360 

But I feare dethe is ouer me so bolde, 

That of my purpose I can nat be sure ; 

My paynes encrease without measure, 

For of longe lyfe who can lay any reason ? 

Al thyng is mortal and hath but a season. 

I Psal. xli. 4. 2 Read mee. 



44 

I syghe ful sore, and it is ferre yfet, 365 

Myne herte I fele nowe bledeth inwardly, 

The blody teares I may in no wyse let, 

Sithe of my payne I fynde no remedy. 

I thanke god of al if I nowe dye ; 

His wyl perfourmed, I holde me content, 370 

My soule let him take that hath it me lent. 

For lenger to endure it is intollerable, 

My woful herte is enflamed so huge, 

That no sorowe to myne is comparable, 

Sithe of my mynde I fynde no refuge. 375 

Yet I him requyre, as rightful iuge, 

To deuoyde fro me the inwarde sorowe, 

Lest I lyue nat to the nexte morowe. 

Within myne herte is impressed ful sore 

His royal forme, his shappe, his semelynesse, 380 

His porte, his chere, his goodnesse euermore, 

His noble persone with al gentylnesse ; 

He is the welle of al parfytnesse, 

The very redemer of al mankynde ; 

Him loue I best with hert, soule, and mynde. 385 

In his absence my paynes ful bytter be, 

Right wel I maye it fele now inwardly, 

No wonder is though they hurte or slee me, 

They cause me to crye so rewfully. 

Myne herte oppressed is so wonderfully 390 

Onely for him, whiche is so bright of blee : 

Alas ! I trowe I shal him neuer se. 

My ioye is translate ful farre in exile, 

My myrthe is chaunged in-to paynes colde, 

My lyfe I thynke endureth but a whyle, 395 

Anguysshe and payne is that" I beholde ; 

Wherfore my handes thus I wringe and folde, 

In-to this grave I loke, I cal, I pray, 

Dethe remayneth, and lyfe is borne away. 

Now must I walke and wander here and there, 400 

Got wote to what partes I shal me dresse, 

With quakyng herte, wepyng many a tere, 

To seke out my loue and al my swetnesse. 

I wolde he wist what mortal heuynesse 

About myne herte reneweth more and more, 405 

Than wolde he nat kepe pyte long in store. 



45 

Without him I may nat long endure, 

His love so sore worketh within my brest, 

And euer I wepe before this sepulture, 

Sighyng ful sore, as myne herte shulde brest. 410 

Duryng my lyfe I shal optayne no rest, 

But mourne and wepe, where that euer I go, 

Makyng complaynt of al my mortal avo. 

Fast I crye, but there is no audyenee ; 

My commyng hider was him for to please ; 415 

My soule opprest is here with his absence, 

Alas ! he lyst nat to sette myne herte in ease : 

Wherfore to payne my selfe * withal disease 

f shal nat spare, tyl he take me to grace, 

Or els shal I sterue here in this place. 420 

Ones if I might with him speke, 

It were al my ioye with parfyte plesaunce, 

bo that I myght to him myne hert breke, 

I shulde anone deuoude al my greuaunce, 

For he is the blysse of very recreaunce. 425 

But nowe, alas ! I can nothyng do so, 

For in stede of ioye naught haue I but wo. 

His noble corse within myne hertes rote 

Depe is graued, whiche shal neuer slake, 

Nowe is he gone to what place I ne wote, 430 

I mourne, I wepe, and al is for his sake ; 

Sith he is paste, here a vowe I make 

With hertely promyse, and therto I me bynde, 

Neuer to cease tyl I may him fynde. 

Vnto his mother I thynke for to go, 435 

Of her haply some comforte may I take ; 

But one thyng yet me feareth, and no mo : 

Yf I any mention of him make, 

Of my wordes she wolde trymble and quake, 

And who coude her blame, she hauing but one ; 440 

The son borne away, the mother wol mone. 

Sorowes many hath she suffred trewly, 

Sith that she first conceyued him and bare, 

And seuyn thynges there be most specially 

That drowneth her hert in sorowe and care, 445 

Yet, lo ! in no wyse may they compare 

With this one nowe, the whiche if she knewe, 

She wolde her paynes euerichone renewe. 

* Read with al. 



4 6 

Great was her sorrow, by mennes sayeng 

Whan in the temple Symeon Iustus 450 

Shewyng to her these wordes prophesieng 

1 (Tuam animam pertransibit gladius) ; 

Also whan Herode, that tyraunt furious, 

Her childe pursued in euery place, 

For his lyfe went neither mercy ne grace. 455 

She mourned whan she knewe him gone, 

Ful long she sought or she him founde ayene ; 

Whan he went to dethe, his crosse him vpon, 

It was to her sight a rewful payne ; 

Whan he hong theron betwene theues twayn, 460 

And the speare vnto his hert thrust right, 

She swouned and to the grounde there pight. 

Whan deed and blody in her lappe lay 

His blessed body, bothe handes and fete al tore, 

She cryed out and sayd, " nowe, welaway ! 465 

Thus arayde was neuer man before." 

Whan haste was made his body to be bore 

Vnto his sepulture, here to remayne, 

Vnnethes for wo she coude her sustayne. 

These sorowes seuyn lyke swerdes euery one 470 

His mothers hert wounded fro syde to syde ; 

But if she knewe her sonne thus gone, 

Out of this worlde she shulde with dethe ryde, 

For care she coude no lenger here abyde, 

Hauyng no more ioye nor consolatioun, 475 

Than I here standyng in this statioun. 

Wherfore her to se I dare nat presume, 

Fro her presence I wol my selfe refrayne ; 

Yet had I leuer to dye and consume, 

Than his mother shulde haue any more payn. 480 

Neverthelesse her sonne wolde I se ful fayne, 

His presence was very ioye and swetnesse, 

His absence is but sorowe and heuynesse. 

There is no more, sithe I may him nat mete, 

Whom I desyre aboue al other thyng, 485 

Nedes I must take the soure with the swete, 

For of his noble corse I here no tyding ; 

Ful ofte I crye and my handes wring, 

Myne herte, alas ! relenteth al in payne, 

Whiche wol brast bothe senewe and vayne. 490 

1. Luc. ii. 35. 



47 

Alas ! howe vnhappy was this woful hour, 

Wherein is thus myspended my seruyce, 

For myne entente and eke my trewe labour 

To none effecte may come in any wyse ; 

Alas ! I thynke if he do me dyspise, 495 

And lyst nat to take my symple obseruaunce, 

There is no more, but dethe is my fynaunce. 

I haue him called, x Sed non respondet mihi, 
Wherfore my myrth is tourned to mournyng ; 

dere lorde, 2 Quid mali feci tibi, 500 
That me to comforte I fynde non erthly thyng ? 

Alas, haue compassyon of my cryeng ! 

If fro me 3 Faciem tuam abscondis, 

There is no more but 4 Consumere me vis. 

Within myne hert is grounded thy figure 505 

That al this worldes horryble tourment 

May nat it aswage, it is so without measure, 

It is so brennyng, it is so feruent : 

Remembre, lorde, I haue ben dilygent 

Euer the to please onely and no mo, 510 

Myne herte is with the where soeuer I go. 

Therfore my dere darlyng, 6 Trahe me post te, 

And lette me nat stande thus desolate, 

fi (Quia ncn est qui consoletur me) ; 

Myne herte for the is disconsolate, 515 

My paynes also nothyng me moderate, 

Nowe if it lyste the to speke with me a-lyue, 

Come in hast, for my hert a-sonder wyl ryue, 

To the I profer, lo, my poore seruyce, 

The for to please after myne owne entent, 520 

1 offre here, as in deuout sacrifyce, 

My boxe replete with precious oyntment, 

Myne eyen twayne wepyng suffycient, 

Myne herte with anguysshe fulfylled is, alas ! 

My soule eke redy for loue about to pas. 525 

Naught els haue I the to please or pay ; 

For if myne hert were golde or precious stone, 

It shulde be thyne without any delay, 

With hertely chere thou shuldest haue it anone. 

Why suffrest thou me than to stande alone? 530 

Thou hast, I trowe, my wepyng in disdayne, 

Or els thou knowest nat what is my payne. 

1 Cant. v. 6. 3 Job. xiii. d. 24. 5 Cant. i. 3. 

2 Matt, xxvii. D. 23. 4 Job. 13 d. 26. 6 Lam. i. 31. 



4 8 

Yf thou withdrawe thy noble dalyaunce 

For ought that euer I displeased the, 

Thou knowest right Avel it is but ignoraunce, 535 

And of no knowlege for certaynte. 

If I haue offended, lorde, forgyue it me ; 

Gladde I am for to make ful repentaunce 

Of al thyng that hath ben to thy greuaunce. 

Myne herte, alas ! swelleth within my brest, 540 

So sore opprest with anguisshe and with payne, 

That al to peces forsothe it wol brest, 

But if I se thy blessed eorse agayne, 

For lyfe ne dethe I can nat me refrayne : 

If you make delay, thou mayst be sure, 545 

Myne herte wol leape in-to this sepulture. 

Alas ! my lorde, why farest thou thus with me ? 

My tribulation yet haue in mynde. 

Where is thy mercy ? where is thy pyte, 

Whiche euer I trusted in the to fynde ? 550 

Somtyme thou were to me bothe good and kynde : 

Lette it please the my prayer to accept, 

Whiche with teares I haue here bewept. 

On me thou oughtest to haue very routh, 

Sith for the is al this mournyng, 555 

For sithe I to the aplyghted first my trouth, 

I never varyed with discording ; 

That knowest thou best, rnyne owne darlyng. 

Why constraynest thou me thus to wayle ? 

My wo forsoth can the nothyng auayle. 560 

I haue endured without variaunce, 

Right as thou knowest, thy louer iust and trew, 

With hert and thought aye at thyne ordynaunce ; 

Lyke to the saphire alwaye in one hewe, 

I never chaunged the for no newe. 565 

Why withdrawest thou [fro] my presence, 

Sith al my thought is for thyne absence ? 

With herte entier, swete lorde, I crye to the, 

Enclyne thyne eares to my petycioun, 

And come: 1 Velociter exaudi me, 570 

Remembre myne hertes dispositioun, 

It maye nat endure in this conditioun ; 

Therefore out of these paynes 2 Libera me, 

And where thou arte, 3 Pone me iuxta te. 

I Psalm lxviii. 18, 19 ; ci. 3. 2 Job xvii. 3 ; Th. has Lebera. 3 id. 



49 



Lette me beholde, Iesu, thy blyssed face, 575 

Thy faire, glorious, angelyke visage ! 

Bowe thyne eares to my complaynt, alas ! 

For to conuey me out of this rage. 

Alas, m}' lorde ! take fro me this dommage, 

And to my desyre for mercy condiscende, 580 

For non but thou may my greuaunce amende. 

Nowe yet, good lorde, I the beseche and pray, 

As thou raysed my brother Lazarous 

From dethe to lyfe, the fourth day, 

Came ay en in body and soule precious, 5K5 

As great a thyng mayst thou shewe vnto vs 

Of thy selfe, by power of thy godheed, 

As thou dyd of him lyenge in graue deed. 

Myne hert is wounded with thy charite, 

It brenneth, it flameth incessauntly ; 590 

Come, my dere lorde, ! Ad adiuuandum me, 

Nowe be nat longe, my payne to multiply, 

Lest in the meane tyme I departe and dye ; 

In thy grace I put bothe hope and confydence, 

To do as it pleaseth thy hye magnifycence. 595 

Floodes of dethe and tribulatioun 

In-to my soule I fele entred ful depe ; 

Alas, that here is no consolatioun ! 

Euer I wayle, euer I mourne and wepe, 

x\nd sorowe hath wounded myne hert ful depe : 600 

dere loue, no marueyle though I dye, 
' (Sagitte tue infixe sunt mihi). 

Wandryng in this place as in wyldernesse, 

No comforte haue I, ne yet assuraunce, 

Desolate of ioye, replete with fayntnesse, 605 

No answere receyuyng of myne enquiraunce, 

Myne herte also graued with displeasaunce, 

Wherfore I may say, O deus, deus. 

3 (Non est dolor sicut dolor meus). 

Mine hert expresseth 4 Quod dilexi multum, 610 

1 may nat endure, though I wolde fayne ; 
For nowe 5 Solum superest sepulchrum, 

I knowe it right wel by my huge payne, 

Thus for loue I may nat lyfe sustayne ; 

But, o god, I muse what ayleth the, 615 

G (Ouod sic repente precipitas me). 



1 Psal. xxxix. 14. 

2 Psal. xxxvii. 3. 



3 Lam. i. 12. 

4 Luc. vii. 47. 



5 Job. xvii. a. 1. 

6 Job. x. B. 8. 



50 

Alas ! I se it wyl none otherwyse be, 

Nowe must I take my leaue for euermore, 

This bytter payne hath almost discomfyte me, 

My loues corse I can in no wyse restore. 620 

Alas, to this wo that euer I was bore ! 

Here at his tombe nowe must I dye and starue, 

Dethe is aboute my herte for to carue. 

My testament I wolde begyn to make ; 

To god the father my soule I commende ; 625 

To Iesu my loue, that dyed for my sake, 

My herte and al bothe I gyue and sende, 

In whose loue my lyfe maketh an ende ; 

My body also to this monument 

I here bequeth, bothe boxe and oyntment. 630 

Of al my wylles, lo ! nowe I make the last, 
Right in this place, within this sepulture, 
I wol be buryed, whan I am deed and past, 
And vpon my graue I wol haue this scripture : — 
" Here within resteth a goostly creature, 635 

Christes trew louer, Mary Magdalayne, 
Whose hert for loue brake in peces twayne." 

Ye vertuous women tender of nature, 

Ful of pyte and of compassyoun, 

Resorte, I pray you, vnto my sepulture, 640 

To synge my dirige with great dcvotioun ; 

Shewe your charite in this conditioun, 

Syng with pvte, and let your hertes wepe, 

Remembring I am deed and layde to slepe. 

Than whan ye begyn to parte me fro, 645 

And ended haue your mournyng obseruaunce, 

Remembre where so euer that ye go, 

Alway to sertche and make due enqueraunce 

After my loue, myne hertes sustenaunce, 

In euery tOAvne and in euery vyllage, 650 

If ye maye here of this noble ymage. 

And if it happe by any grace at laste 

That ye my trewe loue fynde in any cost, 

Say that his Magdaleyne is deed and past, 

For his pure loue hath yelded up the gost ; 655 

Say that of al thyng I loued him most, 

And that I might nat this dethe eschewe, 

My paynes so sore dyde euer renewe. 



And in token of loue perpetual, 

Whan I am buryed in this place present, 660 

Take out myne hert, the very rote and al. 

And close it within this boxe of oyntment ; 

To my dere loue make thereof a present ; 

Knelyng downe with wordes lamentable, 

Do your message speke fayre and tretable. 665 

Say that to him my selfe I commende 
A thousande tymes with herte so free, 
This poore token say to him I sende, 
Pleaseth his goodnesse to take it in gree ; 
It is his owne of right, it is his fee, 670 

Which he asked, whan he sayd long before, 
" Gyue me thy herte, and I desyre no more.'' 

A due, my lorde, my loue so faire of face, 

A due, my turtel doue so fresshe of hue, 

A due, my myrthe, a due, al my solace, 675 

A due, alas, my sauyour lorde Iesu, 

A due, the gentyllest that euer I knewe, 

A due, my most excellent paramour, 

Fayrer than rose, sweter than lylly flour. 

A due, my hope of al plesure eternal, 680 

My lyfe, my welth, and my prosperite, 

Myne herte of golde, my peerle oriental, 

Myne adamant of parfyte charite, 

My chefe refuge, and my felycite, 

My comforte and al my recreatioun ; 685 

Farwel, my perpetual saluatioun. 

Farewel, myne emperour . celestyal, 

Most beautyful prince of al mankynde, 

A due, my lorde, of herte most lyberal, 

Farwel, my swetest, bothe soule and mynde ; 690 

So louyng a spouse shal I neuer fynde, 

A due, my souerayne and very gentylman, 

Farewel, dere herte, as hertely as I can. 

Thy wordes eloquent, flowyng in swetnesse 

Shal no more, alas ! my mynde reconforte ; 695 

Wherfore my lyfe must ende in bytternesse, 

For in this worlde shal I neuer resorte 

To the, which was myne heuenly disporte, 

I se, alas ! it wol none other be, 

Nowe farwel the grounde of al dignite. 7°° 



52 

A due, the fayrest that euer was bore, 

Alas, I may nat se your blessed face ; 

Nowe welaway ! that I shal se no more 

Thy blessed visage, so replete with grace, 

Wherin is printed my parfyte solace ; 7°5 

A due, myne hertes roote, and al for euer, 

Nowe farewel, I must from the disceuer. 

My soule for anguysshe is nowe ful thursty, 

I faynt right sore for heuynesse, 

My lorde, my spouse, *Cur me dereliquisti, 710 

Sith I for the suffre al this distresse ? 

What causeth the to seme this meicylesse? 

Sith it the pleseth of me to make an ende, 

2 (In manus tuas) my spirite I commende. 



H Finis. 



1 Matt, xxvii. 46 ; Th. has derelequisti. 2 Luc. xxiii. 46. 



53 

REFERENCES. 

Chaucer's Works. Thynne's ed. 1532. fol. ccclxi. 
„ Bell's ed. 1855. 

,, Skeat's ed. 1894. 

Canterbury Tales. Tyrwhitt's ed. 1775. 
Murray's English Dictionary, Oxford. 
Malory, Morte d'Arthur (Caxton's ed.) 
Furnivall, Political, Religious and Love Poems. (Early Eng. 

Text Society.) 
Lydgate, Storie of Thebes, ed. Stowe. Printed by Jhon 

Kyngston, 1561. 
Lydgate, Minor Poems, ed. Halliwell. London. 1840. 
Lydgate, Temple of Glas, Schick's ed. (E. E. T. S.) 1891. 
The Book of Precedence. (E. E. T. S. Extra Series. No. 8.) 
Langland, Vision of Piers Plowman, Skeat's ed. 
Ellis, Early English Pronunciation (E. E. T. S.) 1869. 
Curtis, Romance of Clariodus. Halle, 1894. Reprinted from 

the Maitland Club ed., No. 9, ed. by Froude, 1830. Edin. 
Lowndes, Bibliographer's Manual of Eng. Lit. (Bonn's ed.) 

The Cuckoo and Nightingale, Bell's ed. of Chaucer. London. 

1866. 
Lydgate, Complaint of the Black Knight, Krausser. Halle, 

1896. 
Occleve, Letter of Cupid. E. E. T. S. Furnivall, 1892. 

No. lxi. 
Lydgate, Life of St. Edmund, ed. Horstmann, Altenglische 

Legenden. 

Lydgate, Ballade in Commendation of Our Lady, in Chalmer's 
British Poets. 

Occleve, De Regimine Principum. Furnivall. (E. E. T. S.) 

The Craft of Lovers, in Chalmer's British Poets. 

Hawes, Passetyme of Pleasure, in Specimens of Eng. Litera- 
ture, Skeat. 

Horstmann, Early South-English Legendary. (E. E. T. S.) 

Horstmann, Sammlung Altenglischer Legenden. Neue Folge. 
Heilbronn, 1S81. p. 81. 

The Flower and the Leaf. Bell's Chaucer, London. 1866. 

Tennyson, In Memoriam. 

Biblia Sacra Vulgata. 

Legends of the Saints. Scottish Text Society. 1888. 
pp. 256 — 284. 



INDEX OF WORDS. 



Aboue, 485. 

Absence, 25, 313, 386, 416. 

Abundaunce, 339. 

Abydden, 282. 

Abyde, 474. 

Accepte, 552. 

Acquyted, 275. 

Adamant, 683. 

Adue, 673, 675. 

Aduertyce, 22. 

AfFectioun, 305. 

Agayne, 10, 57, 275- 

Agaynst, 85. 

Al, 14, 28, 62. 

Alas, 105. 

All, 171. 

Almost, 619 ; almoste, 149. 

Alone, 50, 173, 335, 530. 

Ahvay, 648. 

Alyve, 517. 

Amende, 581. 

Angel, 297. 

Angelyke, 576. 

Anguisshe, 541 ; anguysshe, 37, 64, 

396, 524- 
Anone, 424, 529. 
Another, 31. 
Anoynted, 20. 
Answere, 606. 
Apace, 128. 
Aplyghted, 556. 
Appal, 158. 
Apparence, 139. 
Appere, 72, 333. 
Approche, 35 ; aproched, 177. 
Aray, 233 ; arayde, 466. 
Armyng, 247. 
Art, 574- 
Ascribe, 254. 
Asked, 671. 

A sonder, 140, 518 ; asonder, 101. 
Assayled, 121. 
Assent, 244. 
Assuraunce, 604. 
Aswage, 507. 
At laste, 652. 



Attayne, 222. 
Attendaunce, 95, 142, 281. 
Auayle, 167, 560. 
Audyence, 414. 
Auenture, 36, 78, 184. 
Auysement, 276. 
Awaye, 98. 
Awhyle, 71. 
Aye, 235, 563. 
Ayen, 457, 585. 
Ayleth, 615. 

Bare, 443. 

Batayle, 231. 

Be, 339. 

Beareth, 294. 

Beautiful, 688. 

Become, 12. 

Beest, 175 ; beestes, 249. 

Beestyal, 122. 

Befal, 16, 284. 

Begyn, 624, 645. 

Beholde, 22, 148, 396, 575. 

Beholdyng, 141. 

Behelde, 183. 

Ben, 509, 539. 

Bequeth, 630. 

Beseche, 582. 

Best, 330. 

Besy, 107, 124, 

Besyde, 142. 

Bete, 116. 

Bethany, 319. 

Bethleem, 321. 

Betrayde, 10. 

Better, 34- 

Betwene, 460. 

Bewayle, 33. 

Bewept, 553- 

Bewrapped, 37. 

Bewrave, 97. 

Beyng, 143. 

Blame, 84, 263, 440. 

Bledde, 202. 

Blessed, 130, 464, 543. 

Blode, 342 ; blood, 190 ; bloode, 119. 



55 



Blody, 367 ; bloody, 120. 

Blynde, 176. 

Blysse, 425. 

Blyssed, 295, 308, 323, 575. 

Body, 116, 153, 629. 

Bolde, 360. 

Bolne, 130. 

Bone, 172 ; bones, 80. 

Bore, 467, 621. 

Borne, no, 241, 399, 441. 

Bothe, 129, 594. 

Boundes, 208. 

Bowe, 577. 

Boxe, 522, 630, 662. 

Brake, 637. 

Blast, 137, 171, 490. 

Brede, 134. 

Breke, 48, 423. 

Brenneth, 590 ; brennyng, 59, 508 

Brest, 189, 408, 540 ; breste, 410. 

Brethe, 198. 

Bright, 391. 

Brother, 583. 

Brused, 153. 

Buryed, 633, 660. 

Bycause, 27. 

Byde, 65. 

Bynde, 433. 

Bytter, 192, 221, 340, 386, 619. 

Bytter ful, 53. 

Bytternesse, 157, 695. 

Cal, 43, 94, 103, 398. 

Care, 329, 445 ; cared, 203. 

Careful, 29c. 

Carue, 623. 

Caryed, 15. 

Caught, 152, 188. 

Cause, 280, 389 ; caused, 234 ; 

causeth, 712. 
Cease, 314, 338, 434. 
Celestial, 687. 
Certayne, 67. 

Certaynte, 536 ; certente, 328. 
Certifye, 96. 
Charite, 589, 642, 683 
Chaunce, 23, 79. 

Chaunge, 74 ; chaunged, 394, 565. 
Chefe, 684. 
Cheke, 91. 

Chere, 74, 158, 38r, 529. 
Childe, 454. 
Chnstal, 182. 
Christes, 636. 



Claue, 179. 

Close, 662. 

Clothe, 351 ; clothes, 165. 

Clyppyng (embracing), 163. 

Colde, 394. 

Comforte, 57, 436, 501, 604, 685. 

Commende, 625, 666, 714. 

Commyng, 415. 

Compace, 309. 

Compare, 446. 

Comparable, 374. 

Compassyon, 185, 502, 639. 

Complayne, 49, 257 ; compleyne, 2. 

Complaynt, 413, 577. 

Conceyued, 443. 

Conceyte, 88. 

Condiscende, 580. 

Conditioun, 572, 642. 

Confesse, 62. 

Confydence, 594. 

Consolacion, 61 ; consolatioun, 475, 

598. 
Constrayne, 59; constraynest, 559. 
Consume, 479. 
Consydring, 25. 
Content, 269, 355. 379- 
Conuey, 293, 598 ; conueyed, 272. 
Corporal, 302. 
Corps, 20 ; corse, 282, 353, 428, 

487, 543, 6 20. 
Cost, 653 ; coste, 104, 324. 
Coude, 440. 
Couert, 271. 
Coueyted, 235. 
Countenance, 144. 
Countrey, 324. 
Course, 85. 
Craggy, 346. 
Creature, 15, 54, 635. 
Crosse, 134, 163, 356, 458. 
Crowned, 127. 
Cruel, 218 ; cruelly, 233. 
Crve, 94, 214, 389/413, 488, 568. 
Cryed, 465. 
Cryeng, 502. 
Cure, 107. 
Cursed, 219. 
Cursydnesse, 135. 
Cyrcumstaur.ee, 226. 

Dalyaunce, 533. 
Dare, 477. 

Darlyng, 190, 512, 559. 
Dealing, 256. 



<6 



Debate, 234. 

Dedly, 144. 

Deed, 301, 463, 588, 633. 

Delay, 528, 545. 

Delectacioun, 306. 

Demenyng, 226. 

Departe, 83, 146, 593. 

Departed, 355. 

Departyng, 53, 287. 

Depe, 335, 429, 597, 600. 

Depriued, 255. 

Dere, 75, 169, 269, 500, 512, 601. 

Deserue, 34. 

Desolate, 513, 605. 

Desyre, 344, 485, 580, 672. 

Dethe, 9, 35, 63, 81, 360. 

Deuorse, 284. 

Deuotioun, 641. 

Deuoured, 244. 

Deuout, 521. 

Deuoyde, 3, 377, 424- 

Dignite, 700. 

Diligence, 94 ; dilygent, 509. 

Dirige, 641. 

Disceuer, 707. 

Discomfyte, 619. 

Disconsolate, 575. 

Discordyng, 557. 

Discryue, 210. 

Disdayne, 262, 531. 

Disease, 418. 

Disgysed, 169. 

Displeased, 234, 534. 

Displeasaunce, 607. 

Displesure, 272. 

Disporte, 298, 698. 

Dispositioun, 571. 

Dispoyncted, 21. 

Distayne (stain), 165. 

Distraught, 149. 

Distresse, 711. 

Distylled, 164. 

Dogges, 232. 

Dolour, 289. 

Dommage, 579. 

Done, in. 

Dothe, 59, 90. 

Doue, 674. 

Down, 119 ; downe, 91, 664. 

Dranke, 151. 

Draught, 151. 

Drawe, 279. 

Drede, 136. 



Dresse, 401. 

Drinke, 159. 

Droppes, 165. 

Drowned, 199 ; drowneth, 445. 

Due, 648. 

Duryng, 230, 310, 411. 

Dwel, 333. 

Dyd, 165, 260 ; dyde, 658. 

Dye, 78, 86, 369, 479, 593. 

Dyed, 166, 626. 

Dyspise, 495. 

Eares, 569, 577. 
Ease, 417. 
Effect, 494. 
Egipte, 325. 
Eke, 165, 525. 
Eloquent, 694. 
Els, 420. 

Embesyle (take away), 270. 
Emperour, 687. 
Enclyne, 569. 
Encrease, 362. 
Ende, 63, 628, 646. 
Endure, 38, 359, 372, 407, 572, 
611 ; endured, 561 ; endureth, 

395- 
Endyted, 277. 
Enfl'amed, 373. 
Enqueraunce, 648 ; enquiraunce, 

606. 
Enquyre, 104. 
Entent, 520 ; entente, 493. 
Entermyned, 109. 
Entier, 568. 
Entreated, 114, 131. 
Entred, 597. 
Erth, 214 ; erthly, 501. 
Eschewe, 657. 
Eternal, 680. 
Euer, 143, 286. 
Euerlastyng, 82. 
Euermore, 381, 618. 
Euery, 227, 324. 
Euerydel, 220. 
Everichone, 448. 
Exceded, 208. 
Excellent, 295, 678. 
Exceptioun, 303. 
Exile, 393. 

rCxpresseth, 610 ; expressyng, 343. 
Eyen, 129, 141, 337, 523. 
Eysel (vinegar), 156. 



57 



Face, 323. 

Faire, 673. 

Faithfully, 338. 

Falles, 201. 

Fallyng, 153. 

False, 277. 

Falsheed, 24.7. 

Fame, 261. 

Fardest, 325. 

Fared, 203 ; farest, 547. 

Farewel, 261, 686, 687 ; farwel, 

146, 260. 
Farre, 89, 101, 393. 
Fast, 223, 413 ; faste, 181. 
Father, 161, 625. 
Fatisfye, 124. 
Fauour, 240. 
Fayne, 48, 166, 481, 611. 
Faynt, 709. 
Fayntnesse, 605. 
Fay re, 665. 

Fayrer, 679 ; fayrest, 701. 
Feare, 63, 102, 360 ; feareth, 437. 
Fee, 670. 
Feirse, 218. 

Fele, 154, 366, 387, 597. 
Felte, 117, 187. 
Felycite, 684. 
Felyng, 195, 199. 
Ferre, 365. 
Feruent, 37, 508. 
Fete, 311, 464. 
First, 443. 
Flameth, 590. 
Flesshe, 172. 
Floodes, 596. 
Flowyng, 694. 
Fode,' 344. 
Folde, 150, 397. 
Folly, 254. 
Fonde, 31. 
Force, 108, 285, 351. 
Forgyue, 537. 
Forme, 389. 
Forsake, 87. 
Forsoth, 560. 
Founde, 27, 457. 
Fourth, 584. 
Free, 224, 667. 
Fresshe, 674. 
Fro, 191, 316, 645. 
Frowardnesse, 155. 
Ful, 26, 44. 
Fulfylled, 524. 



Furious, 453. 

Fvgure, no, 505. 

Fyl, 77- 

Fynaunce, 497. 

Fynde, 41, 47, 61, 67, 305, 315. 

Fyne, 209. 

Gal, 156. 

Gan, 148. 

Garnement, 354. 

Gaue, 156. 

Gentyl, 315. 

Gentyllest, 677. 

Gentylman, 692. 

Gentylnesse, 382. 

Giue, 627. 

Gladde, 52, 538. 

Gladnesse, 255. 

Glorie, 261. 

Glorious, 576. 

Go, 319, 330, 435. 

God, 369, 615, 62s. 

Godheed, 588. 

Golde, 56, 527, 582. 

Gone, 47, 105, 430. 

Goodlyheed, 300. 

Goodnesse, 381, 669. 

Gost, 655. 

Goostly, 635 ; gostly, 13, 216. 

Got, 401. 

Grace, 75, 131, 240, 419, 455, 652. 

Gracious, 55. 

Graue, 8, 398, 588, 634. 

Graued, 429, 607. 

Grauen, 193. 

Gree, 669. 

Greuaunce, 118, 424, 539, 581. 

Greued, 201. 

Greuous, 154, 189, 343, 353. 

Grone, 46 ; groned, 126. 

Grounde, 153, 287, 462, 700. 

Grounded, 505. 

Growen, 346. 

Gyleful, 108. 

Gyueth, 95 ; gyve, 672. 

Habundaunce, 119. 
Handes, 150, 313. 
Hanged, 279. 
Haply. 436. 
Happe, 652. 
Hast, 518. 
Haste, 279, 467. 
Hate, 262. 



58 



Haue, 18, 51, 238. 

Hauing, 440 ; hauyng, 475. 

Heere, 150. 

Hel, 267, 304. 

Helhoundes, 133. 

Helpeth, 103. 

Hence, 15 ; hens, 147. 

Herde, 214. 

Here, 312, 331,487 

Hereafter, 262. 

Herode, 453. 

Heron, 70. 

Hert, 59 ; herte, 6, 24, 35, 48. 

Hertes, 235. 

Hertely, 433, 529, 693. 

Herty, 34, 94. 

Heuen, 161, 214. 

Heuynesse, 3, 63, 404, 483, 709. 

Hewe, 564. 

Hider, 415. 

Him, 90. 

Holde, 370. 

Hong, 460. 

Hope, 85, 594. 

Horryble, 506. 

Hote, 325. 

Houndes, 267. 

Hour, 491. 

Howe, 16, 327. 

Hue, 674. 

Huge, 373, 613. 

Hungry, 645. 

Hurte, 388." 

Hye, 595. 

Hynge, 173. 

Iewes, 106, 232. 

Ignoraunce, 535. 

Impressed, 379. 

Incessauntly, 123, 215, 340, 590. 

Inde, 325. 

Infortunate, 28. 

Iniquite, 259. 

Innocent, 245. 

Insaciable, 113. 

Intolerable, 64, 372. 

Inwarde, 228, 377. 

Inwardly, 366, 387. 

Iourney, 326. 

Ioy, 74 ; ioye, 42, 43, 61, :oo, 255 

Ioyntes, 139, 171. 

luge, 376. 

Iugement, 274. 

lust, 562. 



Ierusalem, 316. 
Iesu, 315, 575, 626, 676. 
Iosophath, 317. 
lude, 321. 
Iustus, 450. 

Kene, 127. 

Kept, 283. 

Kerue, 35 ; Keruyng, 220. 

Key, 294. 

Kneled, 132, 162. 

Knelyng, 664. 

Knewe, 328, 447, 456, 677. 

Knowe, 67, 88. 

Knowledge, 536. 

Kyi, 76. 

Kynde, 551. 

Kvng, 51. 

Labour, 302, 493. 

Lacke, 252. 

Lafte. 273. 

Lake, 347. 

Lambe, 245. 

Lamentable, 115, 664. 

Lappe, 463. 

Large, 309. 

Largenesse, 137. 

Last, 631. 

Launsyng, 178. 

La we, 280. 

Laye, 363, 463 ; layde, 8, 644. 

Lazarous. 583. 

Leape, 546. 

Leave, 618. 

Lede, 332. 

Lenger, 474. 

Length, 134. 

Lent, 371.. 

Leprous, 175. 

Lest, 76, 378. 

Let, 367 ; lette, 552. 

Leuer, 479. 

Leuyng, in. 

Lo, 446, 519. 

Locke, 294. 

Loke, 398 ; loked, 144. 

Lokyng, 204. 

Long, 407 ; longe, 38, 359. 

Long.as, 176. 

Longyng, 301. 

Lorde, 87 ; lordes 34?. 

Loste, 92, 105, 291. 

Loue, 14, 56, 235, 269, 525, 614. 



59 



Loued, 656. 

Louer, 562, 636. 

Loues, 158, 620. 

Louyng, 691. 

Love, 300. 

Lyberal, 689. 

Lyueng, 207, 345- 

Lyenge, 588. 

Lyfe/38, 65. 

Lvftyng, 212. 

Lyke, 133, 237, 249, 534. 

Lylly, 679. 

Lyst, 496 ; lyste, 517. 

Lytel, 24, 326. 

Lyued, 258. 

Lyues, 42. 

Lyuyng, 54. 

Madnesse, 255. 

Magdaleyne, 654 ; Magdalayne, 

636. 
Magnifycence, 240, 595. 
Maintagners, 253. 
Make, 432, 438, 624. 
Maketh, 351. 
Makyng, 413. 

Malyce, 107, 124, 250, 275. 
Malyciously, 121. 
Mankynde, 384, 688. 
Mannes, 209. 
Mantel. 352. 
Many, 320, 402. 
Marred, 112. 
Martred, 307. 
Maruayle, 24, 263, 601. 
Mary, '636. 
May st, 545. 
Meane, 593. 

Measure, 187, 208, 362, 507 
Medled, 341. 
Meke, 243. 
Mennes, 449. 
Mention, 438. 
Mercy, 75, 252, 455, 549. 
Mercilesse, 138; mercylesse, 246, 

712. 
Mery, 52. 
Message, 665. 
Mete, 484. 
Me thought, 200. 
Might, 108. 
Misery, 106. 
Mishap, 46. 
Mo, 320, 437, 510. 



Moderate, 516. 

Mone, 44, 441. 

Monument, 629. 

More, 405. 

Morowe, 378. 

Mortal, 1, 39. 364. 

Most, 444, 656 ; moste, 266. 

Mother, 435, 441, 480 ; mothers, 

471. 
Moued, 233. 
Mount, 319. 

Mourne, 99, 412, 431, 599. 
Mourned, 456. 

Mournyng, 71, 352, 499, 555, 646. 
Mournynglv, 212. 
Mountana, 321. 
Multiply, 5^2. 
Murder, 277. 
Muse, 70, 615. 
Muste, 33, 270. 
Myght, 423. 
Myn, 163. 

Mynde, 21, 314, 385, 548. 
Mvne, 96, 139, 336, 423. 
Myrth, 499 ; myrthe, 293, 394, 675. 
Myspended, 491. 

Nacion, 265. 

Naked, 273. 

Name, 264. 

Nat, 38, 65, 77, 406. 

Nature, 186, 638. 

Naught, 427, 526. 

Nayle, 223, 227. 

Nayles, 356. 

Nayled, 136. 

Nazareth, 321. 

Ne, 31, 430. 

Nede, 257; nedes, 146, 486. 

Neglygence, 26. 

Neither, 455. 

Nere, 32, 334. 

Neuer, 102, 117, 191, 207, 314. 

Neuertheles, 481 ; neuerthlesse, 40 ; 

nevertheles, 244. 
Newe, 565. 
Nexte, 378. 
Noble, 384, 428, 487. 
Noblenesse, 260. 
None, 344. 
Not, 49, 68. 

Nothyng, 7, 84, III, 293. 
Nowe, 44, 298, 612, 622. 
Nye, 89. 



6o 



Obseruaunce, 141, 496. 

Offence, 243 ; offended, 537. 

Offre, 521. 

Olyuet, 319. 

One, 311. 

Onely, 62, 391, 510. 

Ones, 308, 421. 

Oppressed, 390 ; opprest, 36, 188, 

416, 540. 
Optayne, 411. 
Or, 457. 

Ordinaunce, 81 ; ordynaunce, 363. 
Oriental, 682. 
Otherwyse, 617. 
Ouer, 120, 304. 
Ouercome, 129. 

Ought, 239, 534 ; oughtest, 554. 
Outrage, 162. 
Owne, 41, 336, 520, 558. 
Oyntment, 522, 630, 662 ; oynt- 

mentes, 19. 

Pale, 205. 

Paradyse, 182, 295. 

Paramour, 216, 291, 678. 

Parfyte, 14, 422, 683, 705. 

Parfytnesse, 383. 

Parte, 325, 645 ; partes, 401. 

Partie, 40. 

Parting, 173. 

Pas, 525 ; passe, 304. 

Past, 633 ; paste, 432. 

Passyon, 9, 183. 

Pay, 526. 

Payne, 39, 62, 143, 170, 285, 322. 

Paynes, 66, 162. 

Paynful, 302. 

Peace, 258. 

Peces, 542, 637. 

Peersed, 185. 

Peerle, 682. 

People, 246, 266. 

Perceueraunce, 283. 

Perceyue, 271. 

Perfourmed, 370. 

Permutacion, 60. 

Perpetual, 659, 686. 

Perseth, 6. 

Persone, 382. 

Petycion, 569. 

Pight, 462. 

Pitously, 341. 

Place, 316, 454. 

Playne, 268. 



Please, 415, 510, 520, 526. 

Pleaseth, 595, 669, 713. 

Pleasaunce, 422. 

Plesure, 680. 

Plede, 280. 

Plonged, I. 

Poore, 519, 668. 

Porte, 381. 

Power, 587. 

Poynt, 189. 

Poyson, 159. 

Pray, 398, 582 ; prayer, 552. 

Preched, 236. 

Precious, 19, 56, 522, 527, 585. 

Presence, 23, 43, 92, 478, 482, 566. 

Presume, 477. 

Present, 660, 663. 

Prince, 241, 688. 

Principal, 193. 

Printed, 705. 

Profer, 519. 

Promise, 433 ; promyse, 338. 

Prophesieng. 451. 

Prosperite, 681. 

Prouydence, 45. 

Pure, 655. 

Purple, 180. 

Purpose, 18, 361. 

Pursued, 454. 

Pyte, 136, 246, 406, 549, 639. 

Pytous, 23, 206, 353. 

Pytously, 178. 

Quake, 439 ; quakyng, 402. 
Quel, 269. 

Rabyate, 232. 

Rage, 578. 

Rayled (streamed), 181. See 119. 

Rayne, 160. 

Raysed, 583. 

Reason, 249, 363. 

Receyuyng, 606. 

Recomforte, 296 ; reconforte, 695. 

Recreation, 685. 

Recreaunce, 425. 

Redemer, 384. 

Redy, 525. 

Refrayne, 478, 544. 

Refuge, 375, 684. 

Refuse, 69, 299. 

Rehersayle, 225. 

Released, 329. 

Relenteth, 489. 



61 



Releued, 197. 

Remayne, 468; remayned, 186; 

remayneth, 399. 
Remedy, 368. 
Remembre, 509, 571, 647 ; re- 

nienbre, 231 ; remembred, 239. 
Remembraunce, 82, 145, 229. 
Remembring, 53, 644. 
Remorial, 191. 
Remoued,. 44. 
Ren, 91. 

Renewe, 448, 658 ; reneweth, 405. 
Renne, 310, 342 ; rennyng, 340. 
Rent, 128. 
Repcntaunce, 538. 
Replete, 522, 605, 704. 
Reporte, 115, 225. 
Reputacion, 266. 
Requyre, 376. 
Respyled, 278. 
Resorte, 299, 640, 697. 
Rest, 80, 411. 
Restore, 198, 620. 
Resemblaunce, 228. 
Rewarde, 238. 

Rewfull, 459 ; rewfully, 389. 
Keverence, 242. 
Revled, 119. 
Right, 461. 
Rightful, 274, 376. 
Rockes, 335. 
Roode, 204. 
Roote, 706 ; rote, 428 ; 661 ; rotes 

346. 
Rose, 679. 
Routh, 554. 
Rowes (beams), 120. 
Royal, 19, 354. 
Ruful, 142, 148, 181. 
Ryde, 473. 
Ryue, 518 ; ryued, 140. 

Sacrifyce, 521. 

Sadde, 50. 

Sake, 348, 431. 

Saluacion, 58 : saluatioun, 686. 

Saphire, 564. 

Sauyour, 676. 

Say, 28, 348, 608 ; sayd, 145. 

Sayeng, 449. 

Scripture, 634. 

Scorne, 132. 

Scourges, 122, 356. 

Se, 87, 102, 2 88, 308, 322, 392. 



Season, 250, 364. 

Seke, 90, 403. 

Seme, 712. 

Semelynesse, 380. 

Sende, 668. 

Sene, 51. 

Senewe, 490. 

Sentence, 268. 

Sepulture, 80, 109, 273, 409, 468, 

546, 632, 640. 
Sertche, 316, 324, 648. 
Seruyce, 492, 519. 
Sette, 107, 417. 
Seuen, 444 ; seuyn, 470. 
Shal, 86. 
Shame, 83, 264. 
Shappe, 380. 
Sharpe, 127, 194. 

Shewe, 586, 642 ; shewed, 248, 236. 
Shewyng, 451. 
Shulde, 18, 27, 257, 326, 473. 
Sighyng, 410. 

Sith, 331, 432, 443, 555, 711. 
Sithe, 368, 484, 556. 
Slacke, 251 ; slake, 429. 
Slavne, 98, 219, 259, 238. 
Sle^ 388. 
Slepe, 644. 
Slyde, 191. 
Smal, 52, 242. 
Smerte, 288. 
Smote, 123, 125. 
Sobbed, 213. 
Socour, 13, 47, 217. 
Sodainly, 16. 
Sodayne, 6, 36, 184. 
Solace, 705 ; sollace, 675. 
Somtyme, 260, 551. 
Son, 441 ; sonne, 472, 481. 
Sone, 197. 
Songe, 286, 397. 
Sore, 201, 365, 379, 408. 
Sorie, 50. 
Sorowe, 29, 374, 600 ; sorrow, 449; 

sorowes, 442. 
Souerayne, 42, 177, 256, 692. 
Sought, 457. 
Soule, 193, 196, 200, 371, 385, 625, 

690. 
Sour, 292 ; soure, 486. 
Space, 318. 
Spake, 160. 

Spare, 310, 419 ; spared, 123. 
Speare, 177, 194, 227,461. 



62 



Special, ioo, 145, 239, 357. 


Tempred, 156. 


Specially, 444. 


Tender, 638. 


Speke, 49, 421, 517. 


Tere, 126, 402 ; teeres, 91. 


Spirite, 714. 


Testament, 624. 


Spotted, 206. 


Than, 155, 645. 


Spouse, 691, 710. 


Thanke, 369. 


Spyt, 125. 


The, 219, 222. 


Stande, 50, 71, 530. 


Thefte, 278. 


Standyng, 476. 


Therfore, 22, 574. 


Starue, 622. 


Thereof, 663. 


Statioun, 476. 


Therwith, 76. 


Stede, 427. 


Theues, 460. 


Sterue, 420. 


Thinke, 70. 


Stode, 142. 


Thirled, 228. 


Stone, 346, 527. 


Thornes, 127. 


Store, 406. 


Thought, 357, 563. 


Strayned, 138. 


Thousande, 307, 667. 


Stremed, 120. 


Thrilled, 195. 


Strokes, 122, 130, 187. 


Thrust, 461. 


Styl, 282, 283. 


Thursty, 708. 


Such, 151 ; suche, 39, 78, 345. 


Thyne, 567. 


Suffre, 711 ; suffrest, 530. 


Thyng, 239 ; thynges, 68, 444. 


SuftVed, 250, 442. 


Thynke, 101, 106, 251, 314. 


Suffrying, 243. 


Thynkyng, 92. 


Suffycient, 352 ; sufFycyent, 5 . 


Tidyng, 312. 


Suffyse, 297, 347. 


To and fro, 332. 


Sure, 361, 545. 


Toke, 242. 


Sustayne, 65, 469, 614. 


Token, 659, 668. 


Sustenaunce, 93, 344, 648. 


Tolde, 268, 358. 


Swelleth, 540. 


Tombe, 622. 


Swerdes, 470. 


Too. 116. 


Swete, 216, 568. 


Toppe, 116. 


Sweter, 679 ; swetest, 690. 


Tore, 464. 


Swetnesse, 292, 403, 482, 694. 


To-tore, 200 ; to-torne, 133. 


Swette, 126. 


To-riued, 171. 


Swouned, 462 ; swounyng, 152. 


Tourment, 302, 506. 


Syde, 178, 471. 


Tourmentyng, 192. 


Syghe, 46, 57, 365. 


Tourned, 292, 499. 


Syghed, 213. 


Towne, 334, 650. 


Syght, 148, 206. 


Tranquillyte, 258. 


Symeon, 450 


Translate, 393. 


Symple, 496. 


Traueyle, 322. 


Synce, 641. 


Tray tours, 253. 


Syng, 643. 


Tre, 223. 


Syon, 317. 


Treason, 247. 


Sythe, 43, 100, 168, 291. 


Trechery, 108. 




Trespas, 263. 


Take, 371, 436 ; taken, 327. 


Tretable, 665. 


Tare, 150. 


Trew, 562, 636 ; trewe, 283, 493. 


Taryed, 17. 


Trewly, 442. 


Teares, 340, 367, 553. 


Treyne, 5. 


Teched, 236. 


Tribulation, 548 ; tribulatioun, 591. 


Tel, 11, 73- 


Trouth, 556 ; trouthe, 328. 


Temple, 450. 


Trowe, 301, 392, 531. 



63 



True, 41, 281. 

Trust, 75 ; trusted, 550. 

Truthe, 274. 

Trymble, 439. 

Turmentours, 135. 

Turned, 264. 

Turtel, 674 ; turtyl, 41. 

Twayn, 460 ; twayne, 68, 141, 179 

337, 523, 637. 
Tyding.487 ; tydyng, 73 ; tydinges 

33i- 
Tyl, 35, 312,419, 434- 
Tyrantes, 237 ; tyraunt, 453. 

Vale, 317. 

Variaunce, 561 ; varyaunce, 337. 

Varyed, 557. 

Vayne, 180, 490 ; vaynes, 128. 

Vengeaunce, 113. 

Verdyte, 276. 

Vertuous, 638. 

Very, 342, 661. 

Veynes, 171. 

Visage, 704. 

Visvon, 72. 

Vn brace, 211. 

Vncurable, 66. 

Vnderstonde, 29. 

Vn happy, 491. 

Vnnethes, 469. 

Vnto, 223. 

Vowe, 432. 

Vp, 197, 212 ; vpon, 134. 

Vyle, 266. 

Vyllage, 334, 650. 

Vyolence, 140, 271. 

Vyolent, 201. 

Vysage, 164, 205, 576. 

Walke, 400. 

Wander, 320, 400. 

Wandryng, 603. 

Water, 102, 347. 

Wawe, 1. 

Wave, 236 ; wayes, 320. 

Wayle, 7, 77, 230, 336, 559, 599. 

Waywarde. 237. 

Wei, 87, 300, 615. 

Welaway, 703 ; wel-away, 465. 

Welcome, 79, 285. 

Welle, 383. 

Welth, 681. 



Wepe, 77, 336, 339, 409, 412, 431. 

Wepte, 202. 

Wepyng, 34, 74, 402, 523. 

Whan, 148, 453. 

Where so euer, 647 ; where soeuer, 

511. 
Wherof, 61. 
Wherwith, 20. 
Whiche, 51. 
Why, 88." 
Whyle, 22, 45, 395. 
Wicked, 267. 

Wight, 95 ; wightes, 219. 
Willes, 631. 
Withal, 194, 356. 
Withdrawe, S33 ; withdrawest, 

566. 
Withouten, 337. 
Wo, 39, 64, 117,287, 413, 621. 
Wode, 237. 

Woful, 4, 60, 373 ; wofull, 284. 
Wol, 63, 490 ; woll, 265 ; wolde, 

17. 
Wol ues, 245. 
Wonder, 99, 265, 388. 
Wonderfully, 390. 
Woodes, 335. 
Woodnesse, 248. 
Wordes, 160, 451, 664. 
Worketh, 408. 

Worlde, 54, 309 ; worldly, 344. 
Worse, 232. 
Worship, 261. 
Wote, 227, 401, 430. 
Wound, 188; wounde, 221, 289; 

woundes, 170. 
Wounded, 70, 118, 471, 589, 600. 
W range, 150. 
Wretches, 155, 267. 
Wring, 488 ; wringe, 397 ; wryng, 

313. 
Wyl, 97, 336, 616. 
Wyldernesse, 330, 603. 
Wyse, 181, 367, 494, 620. 
Wyst, 404. 
Wytte, 149 ; wyttes, 209. 

Yelded, 655. 
Yfet, 365. 
Ymage, 651. 
Ytake, 85. 



6 4 



LIFE. 






I, Bertha Marian Skeat, was born at East Dereham, in 
Norfolk, in 1 86 1. I was educated at home, then at a large 
day school in Cambridge (Miss Thornton's), and afterwards 
became a student in Newnham College, Cambridge. I 
gained an Honours Certificate in the Cambridge Higher 
Local Examination, including a First Class in Religious 
Knowledge, English Language, Literature and History, 
German, French, Latin and Greek. In 1886 I obtained 
a First Class with Honours in the Medieval and Modern 
Languages Tripos, involving French and German Com- 
position, Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, History of English 
Literature, and Icelandic Prose. Afterwards I became a 
Student in the Cambridge Teachers' College, and at the end 
of my course obtained the Certificate of the Teachers' Train- 
ing Syndicate, with Honours in the Theory and Practice of 
Education. I remained two years longer in the Cambridge 
Teachers' College, as Lecturer in the History and Methods of 
Education. Since then I have held the post of English 
Assistant Mistress in various large English schools. 

Among the many Professors and teachers under whom 
I have studied, my thanks are specially due to the 
following : Professor the Rev. Dr. Skeat, Professor Hales, 
Professor Henry Sidgwick, Professor Henry Jones, of Glasgow, 
the Right Honourable the Bishop of Durham, Mr. E. 
Magnusson, Miss E. P. Hughes. I wish also to thank Pro- 
fessors Vetter, Hunziker, Bachtold and Morf for the teaching 
I received from them while studying at the University of 
Zurich ; also Fraulein Dr. Hedwig Waser, of Zurich, for her 
excellent instruction in the History of German Literature. 
Furthermore, I wish to express my gratitude towards all 
fellow-students, both in Cambridge and Zurich, who by their 
kindly interest and helpful suggestions have aided mehitherto 
in my various studies. 



